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TORAH

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ath, which embraces all ten sephiroth, from the mystical path of the middle pillar, which is an ascent from malkuth through yesod and tiphareth to kether on the central pillar of the tree. zohar: the book of splendor, the principal book of the qabalah. it is thought to have been written by moses de leon and was first circulated around 1280-1290 a.d. in guadalajara. it included commentaries on the torah. gnosticism: gnosis is a greek term for knowledge. the term gnosis applies to certain religious sects that emerged during the early formative years christianity, and which believed in hidden spiritual knowledge. the main factor that differentiated them from christianity was their emphasis on knowledge rather than faith. the christian church fathers considered the gnostics heretical, or heret

ALEISTER CROWLEY SEPHER SEPHIROTH

4) mym#b yrh a span, palm (lit. gthe little finger h) trz aum (cf. 111 *mw) 608 the last gate )rtb )bb to dig (subterranean activity; to row rtx the pillar of severity: the paths cheth and mem (cf. 26& 463 *m x to grow warm; heat, fire; black *mx 610 gold coin, gold money trwg) the citron tree and fruit (lust and desire) gwrt) closed, shut up *m) the sea *my the angel of redemption *l)gh k)lm 611 torah: instructions, glaw h hrwt the fear [of the lord (ps. 111:10; cf. 211) t)ry edom *mwd) tumultuously; to harass, perturb *mwh 612 covenant tyrb brother-in-law *mby 613 the etrog: the number of the divine precepts in the torah gyrt the quintessence of light rw)h t) 614 pertaining to summer *mwx 615 a footstool *mwdh to swell, heave (see 51 *myh 616 the ancient of days: a title of kether nymwy

944 purple *nmgr) 945 eyelids *ny(h ypnk 947 a citadel; a secured house, a fortified castle *nwmr) 948 to leaven, ferment *cmx he shall smite *cxm amen, our light *rw) nm) son of the gods *nyhl) rb 949 realized, materialized, corporeal *m#gwm 950 every way turning (see 1204) tkphtmh flower; hawk *cn surrounding, encircling *pyqm heavens, firmament, sky (always pl; referred to ruach *mym# 951 the torah, or book of the law (lit. gbook of instructions h) hrwt rps hear, o israel! l)r#y (m# the small point: a title of kether tw#p hdwqn robust; oaken *cym) the inscrutable height: a title of kether *hl(m mwr 952 spices *mym#b paths *mylyb# 953 vigils, watches [of the night] twrwm) 955 the heavens *mym#h 956 merciful father *nmxrh b) a pomegranate *nwmyr 957 sumptuous ointment, oil of magnificenc

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE QABALAH

nd writer. of notariqon there are two forms. in the first every letter of a word is taken for the initial or abbreviation of another word, so that from the letters of a word a sentence may be formed. thus every letter of the word tycarb, berashith, the first word in genesis, is made the initial of a word, and we obtain hrwt larcy wlbqyc \yhla har tycarb, be-rashith rahi elohim sheyequebelo israel torah, in the beginning the elohim saw that israel would accept the law. in this connection i may give six very interesting specimens of notariqon formed from this same word tycarb by solom meir ben moses, a jewish qabalist, who embraced the christian faith in 1665, and took the name of prosper rugere. these all have a christian tendency, and by their means prosper converted another jew, who had p

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

er. of notariqon there are two forms. in the first every letter of a word is taken from the initial or abbreviation of another word, so that from the letters of a word a sentence may be formed. thus every letter of the word brashith, berashith, the first word in genesis, is made the initial of a word, and we obtain brashith rah alhim shiqblv ishral thvrh, berashith rahi elohim sheyequebelo israel torah "in the beginning elohim saw that israel would accept the law" in this connection i may give six very interesting specimens of notariqon formed from this same word brashith by solomon meir ben moses, a jewish qabalist, who embraced the christian faith in 1665, and took the name of prosper rugere. these have all a christian tendency, 72 and by their means prosper converted another jew, who ha

AN INTRO TO STUDY OF THE KABALAH

kabbala denudata; and the english edition of three treatises-"siphra dtzenioutha" or "book of concealed mystery "ha idra rabba "greater assembly; and "ha idra suta" lesser assembly" translated by s. l. macgregor mathers. these three books give a fair idea of the tone, style and material of the zohar but they only include a partial view: other tracts in the zohar are--hikaloth--the palaces, sithre torah--mysteries of the law, midrash ha neelam--the secret commentary, raja mehemna--the faithful shepherd, saba demishpatim--the discourse of the aged--the prophet elias, and januka- the young man; with notes called tosephta and mathanithan. in course of publication there is now a french translation of the complete zohar, by jean de pauly: this is a most scholarly work. other famous kabalistic tr

70, was the holy city taken, plundered and burnt, and that by titus, who became emperor of the romans in a.d. 79. through all these vicissitudes, the hebrew old testament survived, yet must almost unavoidably have had many alterations and additions made to its several treatises; the more esoteric doctrines which were handed down along the line of the priestly caste, and not incorporated with the torah offered to the people, may no doubt have been repeatedly varied by the influences of contending teachers. soon after this period was framed the first series of glosses and commentaries on the old testament books, which have come down to our times. of these the earliest are the volume called the "targum of onkelos" on "the law" written about a.d. 100, and that of jonathan ben uzziel on "the p

y 10 kaph k, kh 20 lamed l 30 mem m 40 nun n 50 samekh s 60 ayin aa, ngh 70 there were also several final letters, final k, 500; final m, 600; final n, 700; final p, 800; and final tz, 900. note that the divine name jah, jh, numbered 15, and so in common usage the number 15 was always represented by 9 and 6, thv, teth and vau. the kabalistic rabbis granted the natural meaning of the words of the "torah" or law books of the old testament as a guide to a knowledge of proper conduct in life and as a proper reading for the synagogue and home but they claimed that each verse and narrative, each law and incident, had also a deeper and concealed meaning of a mystical character to be found by their calculations, conversions, and substitutions, according to their rules of gematria, notaricon, and t

teen rules by which they are enabled to penetrate the mysteries with which the scriptures abound. many kabalists claimed that their doctrines and methods were brought down from heaven by angels to primeval man, and they all believed that the first four books of the pentateuch enshrined their peculiar doctrines as well as narrated histories and laid down laws. the zohar says--if these books of the torah contain only the tales of, and the words of esau, hagar, laban and balaam, why are they called--the perfect law, the law of truth, the true witness of god--there must be a hidden meaning "woe be to the man who says that the law (torah) contains only common sayings and tales: if this were true we might even in our time compose a book of doctrine which would be more respected. no, every word h

BOOK OF ENOCH

nusual book. the first time i read it i was skeptical and somewhat puzzled; i wondered who would have written an odd book like this. i knew that enoch (hanokh in hebrew, was very favourably mentioned in genesis, and i discovered that enoch s book describes the exodus and moses very favourably (although not by name. so my first theory was that it might have been written around the same time as the torah, perhaps around 1400 bc. however, after several readings i could find no plausible theories. the prophecy of the animals is extremely precisely written and obviously refers to events well after moses (see my notes on that chapter. additionally; who would have dared to produce a book with people such as moses described in terms of farm animals? michael knibb, whose translation i have used to

med in the section that methuselah wrote (see section 10 at 107.3, and of course in his own section (section 11, the book of noah. so, there may still have been 40- 80 years left before the flood, at the time when enoch wrote his book. there is a long gap between the time of the flood and the time when moses gave praise to enoch in genesis. genesis dates from around 1400 bc, and forms part of the torah (the first five books of the bible. in genesis, there is enoch's family; as named by him in this book, and a quick recap of some of enoch's story. it seems likely therefore, that copies of the book of enoch survived into egyptian times, 3500 bc, and was known to moses around 2,000 years later. moses presumably took a copy of the book with him when they all left egypt, and he was no doubt ple

BOOK OF JASHAR

is text was intended to be read in counterpoint to genesis. when we read it this way, we may find that the challenge of reconciling related but distinct perspectives on creation can help us, as by triangulation, to understand more aspects of this profound mystery than we could from any one mythic perspective. in the same way, the discrepancies between the various strands (j, e, p, etc) within the torah itself offer us such a binocular perspective on creation. 1. the text begins with god's first word, at the moment of creation, and god remains a central character throughout the story. the initial image is one of intense unity. everything comes out of one explosive point and one profound word. the wording of the first sentence suggests that god's own existence also begins at the moment of cr

CHRONOLOGIA RORISPERGIUS

india. vedic culture. 1500 (ca) volcanic destruction of thera, thought to be the origin of atlantis story. harranians established a pilgrimage site at the giza plateau in egypt. 1400 bc the roots of mithraic belief are found in the worship of the sky goddess mitra in northern mesopotamia. avesta composed in avestan (an east-iranian language) 1200 origin of judaism, o.c. of o.t, starting with the torah (the first 5 books. sophocles claimed dice were invented by palamedes during the siege of troy. herodotus attributed them to the lydians in the reign of atys. 1194 fall of troy (events described in iliad/odyssey. 1100 (ca) rise of mayan culture. 994- king david captures jerusalem. 10th century bce solomon, son of david, king of israel flourished 950 torah/pentateuch, song of songs. 900 bc "t

ah("the keys to kabbalah, containing a short commentary on the sefer yezirah. 1272 provincal chapter at narbonne forbade the franciscans to practice alchemy. 1273 dominican order at pest warned friars not to study or teach alchemy. d.1273 jalal al-din al-rumi. 1274 ramon llull's vision on mount randa. d. 1275 peire cardenal troubadour. 1275-1325 menahem ben benjamin recanati italian kabbalist and torah commentator. 1275 nestorian christian monk, rabban sauma travels from beijing to paris. ramon lull ars magna. aurora consurgens possibly written by thomas aquinas. zohar compiled by moses de leon in spain. 1277 guido bonatti: decem continens tractatus astronomiae(astrological compilation. 1279-1340 jedidah ben abraham bedersi ha penini.behinat olam. 1279-1348 abner de burgos(alfonso de valla

DAVID ICKE CHILDREN OF THE MATRIX

theme of reptilian-human hybrids can be seen in the story of adam and eve in the garden of eden (edin to the earlier sumerians "the abode of the righteous ones) in jewish lore, eve, who was tempted by the serpent, of course, was the ancestral mother of the nefilim and associated with the hebrew words meaning life and snake.20 satan("the adversary) is described in the old testament and the hebrew torah as the "old serpent" or "dragon" and he was said to be the ruler of the nefilim who fled within the earth after losing a cosmic battle for supremacy. the hebrew name for eve's tempter is nahash, which besides its translation as serpent also reads "he who knows secrets, another theme of the reptilian gods.21 enoch, like noah, was said to "walk with the gods, and the ancient book of enoch says

naki have been protected from exposure all this time by the "middle men" they have placed between themselves and humanity. i call this the hybrid priesthood. in ancient times the hierarchy of the priesthood were the only ones allowed to "see god (the gods. the levite priesthood of the hebrews is just one example of how only the priests were allowed to approach the deity, as outlined in the hebrew torah. according to various descriptions, even most of the sumerian priests never looked the gods in the face. the priests controlled all the administration of the state on behalf of the unseen gods. what was yahweh-jehovah always saying? he must not be seen..you cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live".25 this was possibly one reason for the ban on the making of "graven images" of the

t symbols in former levite temples. the mythical story of moses and the brazen serpent set upon a cross is symbolic of this same theme. the babylonians had inherited the stories and myths of egypt and sumer, and now they would reappear in a twisted form in the texts that would later become the old testament. genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy, which together make up the "jewish" torah, were all written by the levites, or under their supervision, during or after the captivity in babylon when the levites joined forces with the network of the babylonian reptilian priesthood. so you find the sumerian story of king sargon floating on the river in a basket of rushes rehashed by the levites in the account of the mythical character called "moses. and the sumerian edin, the "abode

peror constantine the "great" after ad325. he was the official head of a roman empire controlled by the very same forces that had earlier controlled babylon when the texts of the old testament started to be written. just a coincidence, eh? vendyl "indiana" jones, the director of the institute for judeo-christian research in arlington, texas, points out that "primal christians" had only the hebrew torah, the first 5 books of "moses, the 22 books of the prophets and holy writings that included psalms, proverbs, job, song of songs, ruth, lamentations, ecclesiastes, esther, daniel, ezra-nehemiah, and the two books of chronicles; plus the 14 books of the apocrypha. there was nothing about "jesus. they met and worshipped with the hebrews in the synagogues and had no "testament" of their own. jon

y are referring to old testament writings. the first "christians" based their faith on the texts of the god save us from religion levites, just as they still do today. as vendyl jones says, the writers of what he calls the "newer testament" viewed the older testament of the hebrew scriptures as the supreme authority "much later their writings became the newer testament. their authority was in the torah primarily. this was enforced by the prophets and holy writings. their newer testament writings never showed or claimed supremacy over the older testament! they did all their writing in the jewish mind-set. this attitude always concedes all authority to the torah! it never irritates or challenges the authority of the hebrew scriptures."17 the big "c" is a big lie christianity was just an "add

DAVID ICKE THE BIGGEST SECRET

m sumer, the levites mixed truth, often symbolictruth, with fantasies and this concoction became the foundations of the old testament.the so-called israelites did not write these texts or agree with what they said. even ifyou accept they even existed, the israelites had long dispersed by the time the levitesinked their pens. genesis, exodus, leviticus and numbers, which together make up thejewish torah, were all written by the levites or under their supervision during or aftertheir period in babylon. this bunch of human sacrificing, blood drinking fanatics andblack magicians, who you would not trust to tell you the time, compiled the law whichjewish people to this day are supposed to follow. likewise many christian fanaticsquote this stuff as the word of god! it is not the word of god, it

DICTIONARY GLOSSARY OF OCCULT TERMINOLOGY

manation of the world from the godhead in the form of ten divine names or spheres of light. a mystical system which is the basis for western religion as well as ceremonial magick. the word is transliterated hebrew, and is spelled in english in several ways including qabala, cabala, etc. there are many different forms of the kabalah. kabalah, dogmatic: the study of books of the kabalah such as the torah (q.v) and the sepher yetzirah (q.v. kabalah, literal: interprets the codes found in hebrew words, especially words found in the torah (q.v) and other mystical books. methods include: gematria (q.v, notarikon (q.v, and temurah (q.v kabalah, practical: refers to kabalistic methods of making talismans (q.v) and amulets (q.v. kabalah, unwritten: that part of the kabalah which deals with

ronicity- t- talisman: a type of charm (q.v. any object, sacred or profane, with or without appropriate symbols, charged or consecrated toward the achieving of a specific end. for occultists today, a device that will draw something (health, money, wisdom, etc) toward the practitioner or wearer. tallit: a prayer shawl used by male jews during prayer. talmud: a huge commentary on the jewish law, or torah (q.v. tantra: sanskrit for "warp and woof of all creation" or "that which extends knowledge" a mystical philosophy from ancient india (and later tibet) which sees the physical world as spiritual. also, several books about tantrik philosophy. tantra centers on the great mother, shakti, as the fountain of all life. in the west, it is understood in a narrow sense to be the yogic practices and r

ke into account the arrangement of the stars and planets in the heavens when working a ritual. even the hours of the day and night were assigned the seven ancient planets. a magician who takes astrology into account when working magick is said to observe the times. see hours, magickal. tipheret: hebrew for "beauty" pronounced "tih-fehr-eht" it is the sixth sephirah (q.v) on the tree of life (q.v. torah: hebrew for "law" the first five books of the old testament, commonly called the pentateuch. mystics believe that much of it is in kabalistic codes. trance: an altered state of consciousness (q.v, especially the more withdrawn degrees resembling sleep or sleepwalking. a "waking dream" transmigration (of souls: one doctrine of reincarnation. the idea that when souls reincarnate, they move up

to truth that must be circumvented on philosophical analysis. zodiac: from the old french from the latin "zodiakos" meaning "circle of animals. an imaginary belt in the heavens extending on either side of the apparent path of the sun, the moon, and the planets along the ecliptic divided into twelve sections of thirty degrees each. used in astrology (q.v. zohar: a huge, mystical commentary on the torah (q.v) first written down in the fourteenth (14th) century by the rebbe and kabbalist moses de leon *finis- the encceremonial magic unveiled by dion fortune this article first appeared in the occult gazette in january i933 and has not been available for a wider audience since. it is of particular relevance in revealing d.f's considered opinion about the golden dawn as well as aleister crowley

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

. he has written on clairvoyance and mathematics, and on levitation in relation to gravity. his parapsychological interests included telepathy, clairvoyance, levitation, and psychokinesis. copernicus, nicolaus encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. 338 cordovero, moses a famous kabalist of the sixteenth century who was influential in the safed school of mystical interpretations of the torah. his writings include shi ur lomah and padres rimmonim. cornell, a(nthony) d(onald (1923) british business technical representative with a longstanding interest in parapsychology. cornell was educated at cambridge university, where he studied economics. he was active in the cambridge university society for research in parapsychology, and became successively its research officer (1956.58, sen

just two encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. falk, samuel jacob chayyim 539 years after falk moved there. in the 1770s, falk also seemed to have joined the list of the associates of alessandro cagliostro, the italian occultist. while experiencing periods of poverty, falk died in relative wealth. he owned a large home on wellclose square in london and is known to have given a silver torah to the great synagogue of london. he died in the city in 1786. sources: godwin, joscelyn. the theosophical enlightenment. albany, n.y: state university of new york press, 1995. schuchard, marsha keith. freemasonry, secret societies and the continuity of the occult tradition in english literature. ph.d. diss, university of texas, 1975. falls the study of materials or objects falling onto the

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

hcraft produced some hallucinations. certain levels of religious ecstasy partake of the same character, the difference being that they involve possession by and contact with so-called angelic or good (i.e, socially approved) spirits. the sacred books of all nations teem with instances of this and history can also furnish examples. the many familiar cases of ecstatic visions and revelations in the torah may be cited, as well as those found in the legends of saints and martyrs, where they either appear as revelations from heaven or temptations of the devil. in the latter case, the sexologist richard von krafft-ebing pointed out the close connection of religious ecstasy with sexual disturbances, especially in situations where the sexual drive was suppressed and diverted into religious activit

FELDMAN DANIEL QABALAH THE MYSTICAL HERITAGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM

. my wonderful mother and father, may the lord be pleased with their souls, steeped our family life in the extraordinary richness of jewish culture and its religious traditions. my brother and i attended hebrew school from a young age, and we regularly attended services and holiday celebrations at our local synagogue. i treasure the memories of receiving my father s blessing before the ark of the torah on the occasion of my bar mitzvah,1 and observing my mother lighting candles on the sabbath. but, as my heart opened and mind developed, i could not shake a feeling from deep within myself that rabbinical judaism had somehow become disconnected from its spiritual taproot. something essential was missing. it appeared to me that a rigid fence had been built around the letter of the torah, but

r mitzvah,1 and observing my mother lighting candles on the sabbath. but, as my heart opened and mind developed, i could not shake a feeling from deep within myself that rabbinical judaism had somehow become disconnected from its spiritual taproot. something essential was missing. it appeared to me that a rigid fence had been built around the letter of the torah, but that the living spirit of the torah was no longer there. i knew that other religions had distinct and beautiful mystical traditions, but where was ours? the rabbis never mentioned it, never taught us anything about it. moreover, what was the original hebrew religion like long before there were rabbis and temples, and we lived as nomadic tribes as the children of abraham? like many young jews in the late 1960 s, i began to vora

original religion of the desert hebrews like in practice? how did their religious practices change during centuries of egyptian enslavement? what was the ultimate impact of the construction of a centralized temple to house the ark of the covenant, with its attendant class of hereditary priests bound to a strict code of levitical purity? furthermore, the word rabbi does not appear anywhere in the torah, and was not an official title or position until after rabbinical academies were established in the fifth century bce. how did the pharisaic rabbinical sect secure its position of dominance and orthodox authority over judaism by the time of the late hasmonean period? what was the advent of master 3' 8: h" 2: 2 2:e 8% yeshuvah (jesus) really about xa call for a new direction in judaism or for

sts will find notable differences between the way the mystical qabalah correlates the hebrew letters with the gates on the tree and those commonly seen in occult books on the subject. the tree provides a map through the four qabalistic worlds and the shells of embodied existence (qlifoth, which are addressed in successive sections in this chapter. the tree also portrays what the first book of the torah describes as the fall of adam, which is then discussed in detail within the context of qabalistic teachings. the information that is provided up to this point in the chapter serves as a suitable backdrop to introduce the divine name hvhy, which is of singular importance in qabalistic practices, and to discuss the nature of messianic appearance within the context of the qabalistic teachings

ine, and was substantially influenced by european languages, the sefardic pronunciations have been selected as more faithful to the original hebrew and aramaic dialects of the middle eastern semitic cultures. throughout the text, an effort has been made to juxtapose transliterated words with their spelling in hebrew letters. the lovely hebrew font used in this book is the' 8: h" 2: 2 2:e 8% sofer torah font created by mr. howard berlin. mr. berlin can be reached at po box 9431, wilmington, delaware, 19809- this book is supported by a website and by an on-line mailing list. the web address is: www.workofthechariot.com if readers are interested, they are also invited to subscribe to a private on-line discussion group, or mailing list, which supports the range of topics in this book. the name

an cabala emerged from the mystical side of christianity, which developed as a parallel tradition to pauline dogma as it diverged and became estranged from its judaic roots. the christian cabala evolved as a way to harmonize jewish kabbalistic doctrines with christian theology. the precise usage of the word qabalah to denote the ideas and practices of the esoteric teachings and the secrets of the torah emerged from the circle of yitza aq the blind (1200ce, and was used in the same context by eleazar of worms (beginning of the thirteenth century).2 the word qabalah (hlbq lit. receiving, also welcoming of god) alludes to a dynamic state of direct communication and mystical union of the individual soul with the divine. in that sense, it is synonymous with the sanskrit word yoga (lit. union wi

FULLER J F C SECRET WISDOM OF THE QABALAH

to history: though here again evidence is none too secure, the zohar is attributed to moses de leon, a qabalistic writer of the thirteenth century, and quite possibly parts of it were written by him. the whole compilation covers a vast ground and comprises: 1. the sefer ha-zohar, the book of splendour11- the main commentary. 2. the sifra-di-tseniuta, the book of the veiled mystery.12 3. the sitre torah, secrets of the torah. 4. the ra'ya mahemna, the true shepherd. 5. the midrush ha-he'lam, the recondite exposition. 6. the tosefta, additions. 7. the hekaloth, halls or palaces. 8. the idra rabba, the greater synod.13 9. the idra zuta, the lesser synod.14 the first printed editions of the zohar appeared almost simultaneously at mantua and cremona in 1558- 60. later editions are those of lubl

ody of god, frater achad, 1925. secret wisdom of the qabalah page 11 chapter i the wisdom of the qabalah the qabalah the qabalah is not a holy book as are the vedas, the bible, and the koran. it is not a book at all: instead it is a secret traditional knowledge, the hidden thought of israel, which, like gold embedded in rock, is to be found only after much labour in many hebrew works, such as the torah, the talmud, the mishna, midrashim, zohar, and scores of other books, the bewildering nature of which may be recognized in a few minutes by glancing through a talmudic miscellany by paul isaac hershon. the word hlbq (qblh) is spelt in many ways, such as qabalah, qaballah, cabala, kaballa, and even, though quite incorrectly- gabella. it is not derived from such fantastic origins as the name o

ese things. h 1 isaiah's words are pure qabalah; for instance in the zohar we read: gobserve h, he said, gthat the holy one, blessed be he, made a right and a left for the ruling of the world. the one is called 'good, and the other 'evil, and he made man to be a combination of the two. h 2 and again: when the holy one, blessed be he, created the world, he created it by means of the letters of the torah, all the letters of the alphabet having presented themselves before him until finally the letter beth was chosen for the starting point. but when it came to the turn of the teth and the resh to present themselves together, the teth refused to take its place; so god chid it, saying: g0 teth, teth, why, having come up, art thou loth to take thy place? h it replied: gseeing that thou hast place

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

, light, magnetism and electricity: the man is light, the bull heat, the lion's grip is the attraction of the magnet, and the eagle's wings are types of the far-reaching flashes of the electric fluid. ezekiel's additional imagery of the wheel has supplied the enigma of the wheel of past ellus, intimately connected with the156themagical masontetrad of god; hisrota, the latin word for which is also torah, the hebrew 'law, and taro the mystical keys of the paths of yetzirah, and 22 trumps of the tarot cards, the lost book of the secrets of hermes trismegistus, as levi names it. but one book of hermes is with us still, the words of the 'emerald tablet' are still in our possession; it speaks of the great magical agent, or wonder-working creative god power 'its father is the sun, its mother is t

and were sabbatarians of the most severe type; they dwelt apart from civic life, often in villagesor in monastic solitude, lived in poverty and practised celibacy, bathed and put on white garments before each meal; they refused to look at statues of men and to use coined money because of the human forms there figured; and they held all property in common; they studied the books of moses,i.e.,the torah, as being of supreme importance, explained them as allegorical, and taught doctrines resembling those of the kabalah in regard to jehovah and the angels; they may have practised healing the sick (like the therapeuue, and they made some claims to possessing magical divine powers: they also lived in expectation of the coming of a messiah. there is not the236themagical masonslightest suggestion

GLOBAL FREEMASONRY

that of christianity, celebrate heretical masses, and perform rituals of black magic. according to the common views of many researchers, this "something" was the kabbalah. the meaning of the word kabbalah is "oral tradition" encyclopedias and dictionaries define it as an esoteric, mystical branch of jewish religion. according to this definition, the kabbalah investigates the hidden meaning of the torah and other jewish religious writings. but, when we examine the matter more closely, we discover that the facts are quite something else. these facts lead us to the conclusion that the kabbalah is a system rooted in pagan idolatry; that it existed before the torah, and became widespread within judaism after the torah was revealed. this interesting fact about the kabbalah, is explained by just

luk nedir ve nasildir (what is freemasonry and what is it like: we don't know clearly where the kabbalah came from or how it developed. it is the general name for a unique, metaphysically constituted, esoteric and mystical philosophy particularly connected with jewish religion. it is accepted as jewish mysticism, but some of the elements it contains show that it was composed much earlier than the torah.15 the french historian, gougenot des mousseaux, explains that the kabbalah is actually much older than judaism.16 ef from the templars to ancient egypt eg global freemasonry although the kabbalah developed within judaism, it depends on sources from outside of it. the kabbalah arose out of the pagan beliefs of ancient egypt and mesopotamia. the jewish historian, theodore reinach, says that t

cal power. also, many non-jews have been influenced by the kabbalah, and have tried to practice magic by employing its doctrines. the esoteric tendencies that took hold in europe during the late middle ages, especially as practiced by alchemists, have their roots, to a great extent, in the kabbalah. the strange thing is, that judaism is a monotheistic religion, incepted with the revelation of the torah to moses (peace be upon him. but, within this religion is a system called the kabbalah, that adopts the basic practices of magic forbidden by the religion. this substantiates what we have presented above, and demonstrates that the kabbalah is actually an element that has entered judaism from the outside. but, what is the source of this element? the jewish historian fabre d'olivet says that i

fomenting revolutions, promoting philosophies and political systems, can be the inheritors of the magicians of ancient egypt? in order to make the answer to this question clearer, we must first examine more closely the historical events that we have now only briefly outlined. ff from the templars to ancient egypt fg -iithe inside story on the kabbalah xodus" is the title of the second book of the torah. this book describes how the israelites, under the leadership of moses, left egypt and escaped the tyranny of pharaoh. pharaoh made the israelites work as slaves and would not consent to set them free. but, when confronted by the miracles god performed through moses, and the disasters he inflicted on his people, pharaoh relented. and so, one night the israelites gathered en masse, and began

god performed through moses, and the disasters he inflicted on his people, pharaoh relented. and so, one night the israelites gathered en masse, and began their emigration from egypt. later, pharaoh attacked the israelites, but god saved them through a further miracle he performed through moses. but, it is in the qur'an that we find the most accurate account of the exodus from egypt, because the torah underwent much textual corruption after it was originally revealed to moses. an important proof of this is that in the five books of the torah genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers and deuteronomy there are many contradictions. the fact that the book of 5x deuteronomy ends with an account of the death and burial of moses is indisputable proof that this portion would have to have been added aft

s, we will not believe in you until we see god with our own eyes (qur'an, 2: 55) reveals that they were inclined to worship a material being that they could see, as their pagan religion provided the egyptians with. the tendency of the israelites to the paganism of ancient egypt, that we have here outlined, is important to understand and gives us some insight into the corruption of the text of the torah and the origins of the kabbalah. when we consider these two topics carefully, we will see that, at their source, is found ancient egyptian paganism and the materialist philosophy. from ancient egypt to the kabbalah while moses was still alive, the israelites began to create likenesses of the idols they had seen in egypt and to worship them. after moses died, there was less to deter them from

GNOSTIC HANDBOOK

ate tragedy is that they don t know it; they think they are free because they never have been free, and do not understand what it means. this is a prison, and few men have guessed. but i know, he said to himself. because that is why i am here. to burn the walls, to tear down the metal gates, to break each chain. thou shalt not muzzle the ox as he treadeth out the corn, he thought, remembering the torah. the divine invasion, phillip k dick. harpercollins 1981. for we contend not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness. ephesians 6:12 while the archons and the demiurge are creations of mans ignorance, they are used by the the gnostic handbook page 52 fallen spirits as a source of power. this is one of the majo

y religion either but an israelite in the essene sense. in this context we can then see how gnosticism (or real christianity) developed out of the israelite-essenes, not the fundamentalist or literal judaism of the pharisees. they (the essenes) were not waiting to receive the law- they already possessed it. their aim was to deliver it from the realms of darkness in which it had been engulfed. the torah, that is, the divine teachings as revealed to moses had, it was held, been successively perverted by false expositors. the dead sea scriptures, theodore gaster, doubleday, ny. the essenes, jesus and the foundations of gnosticism the work of jesus is central to the transformation of the gnostic tradition. jesus as a preexistent spirit; the arch-angel michael took human form so he could show t

GNOSTIC STUDIES THE GNOSTIC HANDBOOK II GNOSTIC THEURGY

it seems, during this same period, a false tradition, a counterfeit kabbalah was being developed. in babylon the children of cain created an amalgam of babylonian paganism and israelite belief which later became known as the talmud. as time progressed they stepped into the shoes of the now-believed lost ten tribes and falsely identified themselves as jews (of judea) or as israel. they edited the torah to reflect their distorted view of judaism, and created a apostate faith based on the values of the talmud. as the deception continued many of these babylonian cainites migrated to other regions, they became known as the edomites and later on many of their number integrated with the people known as the khazars. the khazars were of turkish stock and converted to the talmudic form of judaism a

eligious communities than within practical esoteric science. it can be seen primarily as an extension of the notariqon technique where parts of a larger word are then used to create other words. for example, the term tenach is the title given to the books of the old testament, it is composed of three letters tau, nun and kaph (final. these are seen as abbreviations for a further three words. tau. torah. the five books of moses. nun. n vee-im. the prophets. kaph. k soovim. rest of the old testament. v visita visit i interiora the interior t terrae of the earth r recificando find i invenies and rectify o occultum the secret l lapidem stone. fig 26 gnostic theurgy page 107 the creation of formulae by combining the arts of gematria and notariqon it is possible to produce formulae which outline

ms in modern religious traditions. when we couple this to the fact that emperor constantine re-moulded the prevailing jewish and christian groups into a political amalgam in 325 ad (nicea, a new perspective on history arises. they (the essenes) were not waiting to receive the law- they already possessed it. their aim was to deliver it from the realms of darkness in which it had been engulfed. the torah, that is, the divine teachings as revealed to moses had, it was held, been successively perverted by false expositors. the dead sea scriptures, theodore gaster, doubleday, ny. gnostic theurgy page 197 the essenes, jesus and the foundations of gnosticism the work of jesus is central to the transformation of the gnostic tradition. the older esoteric traditions which are seen reflected in the r

KARR DON NOTES ON EDITIONS OF SEFER YETZIRAH IN ENGLISH

n an excerpt from an interview with the author of ancient secrets of creation: sepher yetzira, the book that started kabbalah, revealed* dr. reiss begins to understand why god chose the aleph, mem, and sheen to be the mother letters of creation, we have to know three things. the first is that the author of sepher yetzira understood that the scroll of the five books of moses, called in hebrew, the torah, was the blueprint for the world because it contains the story of creation. the second is that pythagoras found that the harmony of music lays in the ratio of the whole numbers less than four. among the ratios, 3/2 is the ratio of the perfect fifth, the most concordant sound in music. the third is the very strange statement of the jewish sages who said that the torah is written with black fi

ory of creation. the second is that pythagoras found that the harmony of music lays in the ratio of the whole numbers less than four. among the ratios, 3/2 is the ratio of the perfect fifth, the most concordant sound in music. the third is the very strange statement of the jewish sages who said that the torah is written with black fire on white fire. this statement is interpreted to mean that the torah contains both open and secret knowledge. the actual scroll of the torah is written in straight lines of black ink letters separated by white spaces, the parchment, itself. the black letters are clearly visible, so the black is the open knowledge, while the while spaces show nothing and represent the hidden wisdom* on-line at http//www.fredreissbooks.com/wst_page3.html. 20073 17 part 2: studi

KARR DON NOTES ON THE STUDY OF EARLY KABBALAH JEWISH MYSTICISM IN ENGLISH

formation, go to www.everburninglight.org. the path of the names. berkeley: trigram/tree, 1976. gfrom sha feri zedek, h gthe question of prophecy, h and selections from haye olam ha-ba, and sefer ha-ot. sefer ha-ot. translated by efrat levy; integral edition in english, hebrew, and aramaic. belize city: providence university, 2006. for information, go to www.everburninglight.org. sheva netivot ha-torah: the seven paths of torah. integral edition in english and hebrew. 04/2006. belize city: providence university, 2006. for information, go to www.everburninglight.org. albotini, yehuda. sulam aliyah: ladder of ascent. translated by yodfat glazer and adam shohom. integral edition in english and hebrew. belize city: providence university, 2007. for information, go to www.everburninglight.org. g

s, 2000. 20081 10. gabulafia fs secrets of the guide: a linguistic turn, h in perspectives on jewish thought and mysticism, edited by a. l. ivry, e. wolfson, and a. arkush (amsterdam: harwood academic publishers, 1998. gthe contribution of abraham abulafia fs kabbalah to the understanding of jewish mysticism, h in gershom scholem fs major trends in jewish mysticism 50 years after (1993. language, torah, and hermeneutics in abraham abulafia. albany: state university of new york press, 1989. ghitbodedut as concentration in ecstatic kabbalah, h in jewish spirituality i: from the bible through the middle ages, edited by arthur green (new york: crossroad publishing company, 1985. messianic mystics. new haven: yale university press, 1998: chapter two: gabraham abulafia: ecstatic kabbalah and spi

tary of abraham ibn ezra on the pentateuch, translated by jay f. shachter. hoboken: ktav publishing house, 1986. commentary on the pentateuch, translated and annotated by norman strickland and arthur m. silver. new york: menorah publishing company, 1988. the commentary of rabbi abraham ibn ezra on hosea, edited and translated by abe lipshitz. new york: sepher-hermon press, 1988. the secret of the torah (sefer yesod mora ve-sod ha-torah) translated by norman strickman. northvale. jerusalem: jason aronson inc, 1995. rabbi ibn ezra fs commentary on the creation (perush ha-torah: bereshit, perek 1-6) translated by michael linetsky. jason aronson, 1998. also see. del valle, carlos. gabraham ibn ezra fs mathematical speculations on the divine name, h in mystics of the book: themes, topics and ty

and co, 1873; rpt yerushalayim [mitshuf, 724 [1963 or 4. halbertal, moshe. concealment and revelation: esotericism in jewish thought and its philosophical implications, translated by jackie feldman. princeton. oxford: princeton university press, 2007, chapter 5 gesotericism and commentary: ibn ezra and the exegetical layer, h and chapter 6 gconcealment and heresy: astrology and the secret of the torah. h. schwartz, dov. gjudah halevi and abraham ibn ezra h= chapter one) in studies on astral magic in medieval jewish thought, translated by david louvish and batya stein [the brill reference library of judaism, vol. 20 (leiden. boston: brill, 2005. sela, shlomo. gabraham ibn ezra fs appropriation of saturn, h in kabbalah: journal for the study of jewish mystical texts, vol. 10, edited by dani

20081 24 mysticism in medieval europe, edited by joseph dan (jerusalem: the hebrew university, 1987. wolfson, elliot. along the path: studies in kabbalistic myth, symbolism, and hermeneutics. albany: state university of new york press, 1995: chapter 1. gthe image of jacob engraved upon the throne: further reflection on the esoteric doctrine of the german pietists. h. gthe mystical significance of torah study in german pietism, h in jewish quarterly review, vol. 84, no. 1 (july 1993. through a speculum that shines: chapter five. ghaside ashkenaz: verdical and docetic interpretations of the chariot visions. h. yassif, eli. gthe medieval saint as protagonist and storyteller: the case of r. judah he-hasid, h in creation and re-creation in jewish thought [festschrift in honor of joseph dan on t

LAITMAN M BASIC CONCEPTS IN KABBALAH

these are filled with a small light. this first 2,000-year period is called the darkness period. during the second 2,000 years, when the second group of sefirot (hesed, gevura, and tifferet) develops, the light of nefesh that filled the first group of sefirot descends to the second one, and the light of ruach fills the first group. these 2,000 years, following the darkness period, are called the torah period. the third group of sefirot, netzah, hod, and yesod, takes the last 2,000 years. the light of nefesh descends here from the second group, the light of ruach descends from the first group to the second, and the light of neshama enters the first group. the entire wisdom of kabbalah, and the zohar in particular, was concealed until the emergence of the third group. the ari revealed the z

rs in other worlds. creatures that populate a certain world perceive objects in that world in a similar way, and can thus exchange information using their own language. one can inform others about what happens in other worlds using the same language, while at the same time implying that this refers to objects in another world, which correspond to our own. this is exactly the language in which the torah is written. all the worlds are similar to one another; the difference is only in the material from which they are created the higher the world, the purer its matter. however, the laws of their functioning and form are the same, and each subsequent world is an exact replica (branch) of its predecessor (root. the created beings populating a certain world can perceive only within its boundaries

LAITMAN M FROM CHAOS TO HARMONY

of the domination of the new ego, and taught them to be as one man in one heart, as parts of a single body. because of its size, this group was now called a people or a nation. however, genetically, it was part of the ancient babylonian people to which abraham belonged, as even science confirms today.21 moses method of balancing with nature was a continuation of abraham s method. it was named the torah. this does not refer to the torah (pentateuch) as a historic document, as we know it today, but as a method for correcting the ego. the term, moses, symbolizes the force that pulls (moshech, in hebrew) one out of the ego s rule. the term, torah, comes from the word, instruction or light, the force that corrects, as in, the light in it reformed them (midrash raba, eicha, introduction, 2nd par

his does not refer to the torah (pentateuch) as a historic document, as we know it today, but as a method for correcting the ego. the term, moses, symbolizes the force that pulls (moshech, in hebrew) one out of the ego s rule. the term, torah, comes from the word, instruction or light, the force that corrects, as in, the light in it reformed them (midrash raba, eicha, introduction, 2nd paragraph. torah also stands for the pleasure that fills one who has corrected one s ego. thus, the group of kabbalists continued to evolve. implementing moses method, they corrected all the egoistic desires that surfaced in them, and the filling (satisfaction, light) they received within their corrected desires was called beit ha mikdash (the temple, the house of holiness. the temple is their corrected desi

bbalah books. or this can be done in a much shorter time in boundless elation. at this crossroads, israel s role is critical. t h e ro l e o f i s r a e l the descendants of abraham s group of kabbalists are the people of israel. before we begin to discuss the role of israel, it is important to know that there is absolutely no question of nationalism here, as baal hasulam puts in his essay, matan torah (the giving of the torah: is there, god forbid, nationalism involved here? of course, only an insane person would think that. the people of israel is no better than other nations, but it does possess a unique role in nature s plan. humanity is like a single body, where each of the organs has its own function. kabbalists allegorically say that in the beginning, the correction method was offer

ther nations, but it does possess a unique role in nature s plan. humanity is like a single body, where each of the organs has its own function. kabbalists allegorically say that in the beginning, the correction method was offered to every nation, since the purpose of creation lies on the shoulders of the whole human race, whether black, white, or yellow (baal hasulam, the bond. however, when the torah was given, none of the nations were ready to receive it; clearly, humanity did not need it yet. for this reason, the method was given to the people of israel to function as israel s role 169 a transit for the method that would ultimately be realized by all of humanity. the people of israel are different from all other nations. they comprise the same group of kabbalists that abraham establish

to take place. therefore, when the nation returned to israel, the great kabbalist, rav abraham isaac hacohen kook, who was also the first chief rabbi of israel, was very outspoken: now the times have come for everyone to know that the salvation of israel and the salvation of the entire world depend solely on the appearance of the wisdom of the hidden light of the internality of the secrets of the torah (kabbalah) in a clear language letters of the raiah, p. 92. only when we are what we should be will humanism return to humanity, the highest virtue, whose essence will be able to the spiritual light concealed within its quality; and it will israel s role 173 naturally soar in its entirety, and with pride it will know its happiness sefer orot (book of lights, p. 155. we should know that just

one person bring ascent or descent to the entire world. moreover, the parts compose everything that is in the whole( introduction to the book of zohar, item 68. in his book, orot hakodesh (lights of sanctity, rav kook introduces a similar idea: the magnitude of the value of man s power of will, and how crucial is his degree in reality, is yet to be revealed in the world through the secrets of the torah (kabbalah. and this revelation will be the crown of the whole of science. hence, although the people of israel are few, they contain the necessary power and strength to carry out israel s role 185 the required correction in the entire world. the awakening of the other nations depends entirely on the extent to which a person from israel prefers internality to externality, or the israel within

LAITMAN M KABBALAH ATTAINING THE WORLDS BEYOND

to a whole spiritual body, and is 620 times greater than was the original element before it descended into this world. thus, in its complete state, the spiritual body of the soul consists of 620 parts, or organs. each part is considered to be a spiritual law or spiritual act (mitzvah. the light of the creator or the creator himself (which are the same) that fills every part of the soul is called "torah" when we ascend to a new spiritual level, it is called "fulfilling a spiritual law" as a result of this elevation, new altruistic aspirations are created and the soul receives the torah, the light of the creator- 32- attaining the worlds beyond the true path to this goal proceeds along the middle line. this implies combining three concepts into one: the human being, the path to follow, and t

l that corresponds to our spiritual qualities. those of us who are above the line are able to perceive the creator. the higher above the line we are, the stronger the ability to perceive. higher or lower positioning is determined by the screen within each of us. this screen reflects the direct egoistic pleasure that can be derived from the light of the creator. the light above the line is called "torah" the screen, or the line separating our world from the spiritual one, is called a "barrier (machsom. those who pass this barrier never again descend spiritually to the level of our world. below the line is the realm of egoism, while above the line is the realm of altruism. advancing toward altruistic pleasure atzilut is the world of complete perception of, and unification with, the creator

yishmael. the work in the left line is countered by an evil force against the work of the intellect, called the klipat eisav. however, when we progress further in our work, we see that in order to enter into the spiritual realm we must rid ourselves of both klipot, because they do not want to receive the laws of the spiritual realm just as it is mentioned in the bible that the creator offered the torah, the laws of the spiritual realm, to eisav and yishmael before he gave it to- 188- israel, but they did not want to receive it. only after we see that we are not able to receive the altruistic-spiritual laws with either the right or left force, do we carefully progress to the middle line, which is called "we will do, and then we will hear" which is called "for the sake of bestowal" and is th

ence merge in a single source of existence, in the creator! this "place" is known as atzilut. the clothing of the creator in the garments of the worlds atzilut, beria, yetzira (his appearance to us by means of illuminations of light through screens which weaken these worlds) is known as kabbalah. the clothing of the creator in the garment of our world, the world of assiya, is known as the written torah. in truth, however, there is no difference between kabbalah and the torah of this world. the source of everything is the creator. in other words, to study and to live according to the torah, or to study and to live according to kabbalah, is determined by the spiritual level of the student. if one is on the level of this world, then one sees and perceives this world and the torah as everythin

lah, is determined by the spiritual level of the student. if one is on the level of this world, then one sees and perceives this world and the torah as everything. however, should the student move to a higher level, a different picture will emerge. the sheath of this world will vanish and what will be left are the sheaths of the worlds- 228- attaining the worlds beyond yetzira and beria. then the torah and all reality will appear different, as it does to those who reach the level of the world, yetzira. at that point, the bible, with all its stories about animals, wars and the objects of this world, will be transformed into kabbalah the description of the world, yetzira. if the person elevates himself even further into the world of beria or atzilut, then an entirely new picture of the world

, even if it seems unnatural (the majority determines consciousness; where everyone is naked, as in a sauna or in a "primitive" society, it takes no effort to shed one s clothing) but a group of friends and a teacher are only helpful tools. in the process of spiritual ascent, the creator will still make certain that a person will be forced to turn for help only to him. why is there both a written torah, the written form of spiritual laws like the bible and an oral one? the answer is simple: the written form gives us the descriptions of spiritual processes that are carried out from above to below. it relays only this process, though it employs the language of the narrative, of historical chronicles and of legal documents, the language of prophecy and of kabbalistic learning. but the main pu

LAITMAN M KABBALAH SCIENCE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

g us. 26 t h e n at u r e o f m at t e r the wisdom of kabbalah has evolved over thousands of years and been disseminated among kabbalists throughout history. i would like to briefly review the key points in this process. the first kabbalist was abraham the patriarch (approximately 1,800 bce. sefer yetzira (the book of creation) is ascribed to him. 500 years after abraham, moses wrote his book of torah (the pentateuch, around 1,350 bce. in the 2nd century ce rabbi shimon bar-yochai wrote sefer ha zohar (the book of splendor. kabbalah thrived in the 16th century israeli town of safed, led by the kabbalist rabbi yitzhak luria ashkenazi, the ari (1534-1572. he presented his method in his books, and today the wisdom of kabbalah is founded on the lurianic kabbalah (the kabbalah of the ari. luri

fully present in it. a kabbalist can gather impressions from that time and convey them to us. baal hasulam describes it in the following manner: but, because those that reached the degree where abraham stood, or anyone, they see and know what abraham saw and knew. for this reason they know what abraham would say, and likewise in all the sayings of our sages when they interpreted the verses of the torah. all that was because they too attained the degree, and each degree in spirituality is a reality. everyone sees the reality, as all those who come to the city of london in england see what is in the city and what is said in the city. baal hasulam, shamati, article 98 spirituality is that which will never be lost. pa r t i i: t h e e s s e n c e o f t h e w i s d o m o f k a b b a l a h 88 in

e s i n t h e w i s d o m o f t ru t h kabbalists, as previously mentioned, research the upper world, the world beyond the perception of an ordinary person. hence, the depictions of kabbalists attainments relate to the upper world, but because we are not aware of the existence of a spiritual world besides our own, we ascribe their words to our world, a phenomenon called materialization. when the torah (five books of moses) was written, the people of israel were at a spiritual degree. but after two thousand years of detachment from spirituality since the ruin of the second temple, the torah stories seem to refer to historic episodes or moral conduct. yet, this is not the case. each element in the world is connected to the same element in all the other worlds by a root and branch connection

it is what they referred to as nature, whose numeric count is the same as elohim (god. and this is the truth that the creator concealed from the philosophers--ramchal, the book of the war of moses, rule 15 rabbi eliahu the vilna gaon (1138-1204) our rabbi [the vilna gaon] engaged extensively in the study of the qualities of nature and the studies of the earth in order to attain the wisdom of the torah, to sanctify the name of god among the nations, and to bring the redemption closer. from his youth, he manifested wonders in all seven teachings. he also asked and commanded his disciples to study as much as possible of the seven earthly teachings, and that too was in order to raise the wisdom of israel according to the wisdom of the torah in the eyes of the nations, as it is written, for th

cording to the wisdom of the torah in the eyes of the nations, as it is written, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples--rabbi hillel shklover in the name of the vilna gaon, the voice of the turtle-dove, p. 115 concerning the study of the seven teachings, our rabbi had told us: the messianic revelation comes hand in hand with the revelation of the wisdom of the torah, and appears through the disclosure of the secretes of the torah and the opening of the seven teachings this is what is meant in the zohar (vayera, 117) that in the year 1840 the gates of wisdom will open from above k a b b a l i s t s w r i t e a b o u t k a b b a l a h 203 and the springs of wisdom from below, with the commencement of the gradual messianic revelation. the voice of the turt

e year 1840 the gates of wisdom will open from above k a b b a l i s t s w r i t e a b o u t k a b b a l a h 203 and the springs of wisdom from below, with the commencement of the gradual messianic revelation. the voice of the turtle-dove, p. 117 he would often sigh heavily and say, why should the nations say, where is the wisdom of israel? he would often whisper to us what those who perceive our torah do for the glory of the name of god, as the ancient sages from israel had done. many of them glorified the name of god through their extensive knowledge in the research of nature s secrets from the creator s wonders. many among the righteous of the nations of the world also extolled the wisdom of the sages of the torah in israel the members of the sanhedrin, the tanaaim, the amoraim, etc. an

LAITMAN M THE KABBALAH EXPERIENCE

first, humanity must go through all the opposite situations in order to realize that, indeed, only the creator is complete. culture and science are only vessels given to us to reveal that we and all around us are destined for adhesion with the creator. that is our destiny--the highest degree of evolution we must reach. t h e k a b b a l a h e x p e r i e n c e 16 the kabbalah, as the whole of the torah, must still be revealed to mankind. the time has not yet come for this to occur, and only in our time are souls that possess a genuine demand for spiritual development descending to this plane. i n t e r e s t i n t h e p u r p o s e o f c r e at i o n q: why are so few people asking themselves questions about creation? how can people be made more interested in learning the purpose of creati

newly born physical bodies. physical bodies are born, live and die. after their death they go from a stage of animation to a stage of stillness k and that s it. nothing else happens with those bodies. nothing of what the protein body had is re-lived in the new body. a body in kabbalah is a body of a soul v the desire to be filled with upper light. for this reason, we must understand that when the torah speaks of the soul exiting the body, it refers to the light leaving the body of the soul. when it says that the soul returns to the body, it means that the light has returned to fill the soul after its will to receive has died, been corrected and became a will to bestow. and when it says that a body has been revived, it refers to a will to receive that was once uncorrected, not spiritual; me

o n 35 of course, we have developed from the more primitive forms, but not by natural (darwinian) selection. our development came about by the surfacing reshimot v spiritual genes. the first manifestation of the point in the heart is adam in this world. its first development into sensing the creator is abraham. the first manifestation of the method of uniting with the root is the receiving of the torah. i can say only one thing in response to your question: until the point in your heart manifests and forms the first ten sefirot, you will be absolutely unable to understand where you come from and where everything is headed! no explanation will help, since there is no vessel to receive it. t wo l aw s o f c r e at i o n q: who is the creator? a: the wisdom of kabbalah, which studies the coll

lo lishma is a conscious advancement toward the purpose of creation, as much as one can be aware of it when the creator is in fact still completely hidden. t h e t h o u g h t o f c r e a t i o n 39 there is not a single word in kabbalah about the situation that precedes the appearance of the point in the heart. in that situation, both the religious and the secular prefer the literal part of the torah. when a person s point in the heart is inactive, and there is no desire to develop it, the torah serves only to assure one of eventual rewards- both in this world and in the next. such a state is not regarded as lishma or lo lishma. there isn t even a name for it. it is simply a way of satisfying man s need for self-assurance, justifying his existence. not for her name is a situation where o

, it only proves that the level of our development is very poor and that we are not even aware of our true state. the more we get a feel of the spiritual world and a deeper sense of the world of truth, the more we can see the order of cause and consequence. we see what happens with us, understand how we should react to it and begin to be a positive and active part of the universe. that is why the torah says: be a man. we can achieve this by opening our eyes instead of remaining blind. of course, if one were a man, education would not be needed, because education is only needed to complete what we cannot see for ourselves. if we could clearly see the consequences of our actions, we could commit evil, but it would be clear to us what was right and what was wrong. there would be no room for t

ey are all necessary so that in the future, you ll be able to feel the exact opposite: you will experience achievement, perfection, completeness and light. t h e k a b b a l a h e x p e r i e n c e 60 t h e a r i a n d k a b b a l a h i n m o d e r n t i m e s q: you said that the modern kabbalah was created by the ari, and was later renewed by rav yehuda ashlag. how can that be? we know that the torah was given to us from heaven and that it doesn t change; why then does kabbalah change, and moreover, how can people change it? isn t kabbalah a part of the torah? a: the whole of the torah relates only to the spiritual world. it explains it in the language of pictures, but not a single word of it speaks of our world. it does, however, make use of words to explain the structure of the spiritu

LAITMAN M THE PATH OF KABBALAH

r attributes that we are still unable to see in ourselves. all the worlds, partzufim, sefirot, names, everything the kabbalah speaks of, exists in us and will be revealed in us, depending on the degree of our correction. we will find our inner moses and aaron, king david and the angels, the evil, the righteous, and the degrees of attainment called jerusalem, the temple and more. every word in the torah speaks of our own forces and our levels of ability to sense the creator. that is the only topic of discussion of the torah. that is also the only thing we speak of in our daily lives, because we talk about our feelings. in fact, all we feel is the influence of the creator. everything around us is no more than the influence of the creator on each and every one of us. hence, to discern the act

that is the only topic of discussion of the torah. that is also the only thing we speak of in our daily lives, because we talk about our feelings. in fact, all we feel is the influence of the creator. everything around us is no more than the influence of the creator on each and every one of us. hence, to discern the actual picture of the world, we must find what we read inside us, as we read the torah, because every written word exists within us it just hasn t been discovered. pa r t o n e: t h e b e g i n n i n g 11 we feel what the books speak of in accordance with our spiritual growth, hence the importance of the study from genuine sources of kabbalah: the zohar, the writing of the ari, and the writings of ashlag. this is the safest way to attain the correction of our feelings and attr

ion our own feelings. this results in a collective goal, thought, and desire that in time creates in the group the feeling of one body and common properties a feeling that there are no separate entities, but only one, man, and before him, the one creator. this thought must be directed inwardly toward changing our qualities in search of the creator within us. instead of the ordinary reading of the torah, we discover the torah as a spice, as a means for correction. it is also called a potion of life, for it pours into us the sensation of the creator, the light of eternity and wholeness. people who study from the wrong books are denied this remedy and remain with their properties. they do not discover the creator, and their torah becomes dry, concealing the purpose of creation even more than

years, and others live only for a minute. our ordinary clock shows only the still time, meaning the pace of progress of the still toward the purpose of creation. c h a p t e r 1. 5 k a b b a l a h a s a m e a n s o f at t a i n i n g s p i r i t ua l i t y kabbalah revolves around the spiritual worlds. therefore, the student attracts spiritual lights during the study. studying other parts of the torah also awakens a certain spiritual illumination, but the intensity of the light during the study of kabbalah is much stronger than when studying other writings. t h e pa t h o f k a b b a l a h 26 however, we must make sure we are studying in the right path of instruction, otherwise the opposite result may be achieved: the more we study, the more we will feel righteous instead of feeling our o

n evil would make it easier for us: just imagine studying for several months, each month feeling that you are becoming meaner and meaner. can you really call that sensation pleasant? not at all! however, this is the truth! if you keep feeling better about yourself, you are learning a lie, a pleasant one, but still a lie. on that basis, society can be divided to two opposing groups: homeowners and torah owners. homeowners are those who study torah and are content with the study. they feel that they accumulate merit for the world to come. this world already smiles at them and they are confident that they will be happy in the next life. the torah owners, however, are people who wish to do something with themselves. these two groups are in complete opposition to one another, although their out

ains. it is the total opposite of the creator and is termed, the exile in egypt. the natural power that works on us in that state, the power of our egoistic nature, doesn t allow us to advance anywhere except to care for ourselves. this is called the state of pharaoh. our egoism doesn t let us feel the sublime and perfect state. it is egoism, man s inner and vicious force called pharaoh, that the torah speaks of at length, whereas the force that frees one of that state is called moses. pharaoh, moses and everything that is written about the exodus describe spiritual states and emotions. our current state is the lowest possible. it is a state of absolute slumber and even unconsciousness. we have no sensation whatsoever of who or where we are. it is even a lower state than this world, since

LEWIS JAMES SATANISM TODAY AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION FOLKLORE AND POPULAR CULTURE

r the attributes of god, such as the compassionate and the forgiver. a popular amulet of islamic peoples beginning in the sixth century was the hand of fatima. the hand of fatima is frequently made of silver and jeweled with semiprecious stones. it is named after the daughter of the prophet muhammad.hands were also used as amulets on gates of islamic buildings. holy books of every culture (koran, torah, bible) are considered to have protective powers. pieces of parchment with scripture quotes, carried in boxes or pouches, are amulets in various religions. amulets with inscriptions are sometimes called charms, a term that also applies to spoken incantations. yhwh, the hebrew name for god, appeared on many amulets and talismans in different spellings to help magicians conjure demons and prot

lly develops into a demonic figure who begins to act on his own initiative. by the time of the talmud, the angel of death was identified with satan, and the notion of an evil angel of death was reflected in many folktales and in many folk practices associated with death, burial, and mourning. for instance, one commonly known bit of folklore is that it is impossible to die in the midst of studying torah. the many folktales associated with the angel of death fall into roughly three categories. in the first group, which we might call tales of horror and magic, the stubborn and cruel angel of death is a kind of antihero, somewhat like dracula in many vampire stories. in the second group, the angel of death is defeated, especially by human deception. in these tales he is portrayed as being rath

ands, and some by their tongues. in addition, women were suspended by their hair and their breasts by chains of fire. such punishments were inflicted on the basis of the sins that were committed: those who hung by their eyes looked lustfully upon their neighbors wives judgment of the dead 139 and possessions; those who hung by their ears listened to empty and vain speech and did not listen to the torah; those who hung by their tongues spoke foolishly and slanderously; those who hung by their hands robbed and murdered their neighbors. the women who hung by their hair and breasts uncovered them in the presence of young men in order to seduce them (cohn-sherbok 1987, p. 29. at later points in this same account, sinners were punished by scorpions and by being lashed with fiery chains by angels

LIBER LVII

nd writer. of notariqon there are two forms. in the first every letter of a word is taken for the initial or abbreviation of another word, so that from the letters of a word a sentence may be formed. thus every letter of the word tycarb, berashith, the first word in genesis, is made the initial of a word, and we obtain hrwt larcy wlbqyc \yhla har tycarb, be-rashith rahi elohim sheyequebelo israel torah .in the beginning the elohim saw that israel would accept the law. in this connection i may give six very interesting specimens of notariqon formed from this same word tycarb by solom meir ben moses, a jewish qabalist, who embraced the christian faith in 1665, and took the name of prosper rugere. these all have a christian tendency, and by their means prosper converted another jew, who had p

LURQUIN STONE EVOLUTION AND RELIGIOUS CREATION MYTHS

pernicious and godless darwinism. judaism judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion still in existence today. like islam, but unlike christianity, it rejects any pictorial representation of god. but unlike both christianity and islam, judaism does not affirm that satan is the inventor of evil. jews and christians alike recognize the old testament, in particular, its first five books, called the torah in hebrew. thus, there exists in judaismalso the potential for a literal interpretation of the genesis creation myth. on the other hand, jews do not recognize jesus christ as the messiah, and the christian view of the new testament is not shared by them. nonetheless, jews, muslims, and christians alike are people of the book; that is, all believe in revealed religions. it is probably safe to

holars. for example, there is no general agreement on what is meant by days in genesis. be that as it may, many orthodox rabbis see the theory of evolution as being compatible with the jewish faith. some, however, do not. on the other hand, expectedly, all agree that god played and plays a role in the events that unfold in the universe. one can say that observant jews believe in the spirit of the torah but do not necessarily equate it with actual fact. further, jews consider that the old testament should be read and understood in conjunction with jewish scholarly texts such as the talmud, for example. interestingly, many jewish people understand that science, too, evolves and that, for some jews, current scientific knowledge simply represents our best understanding of what ultimately god d

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

idental--represent none the less a definite effort to confuse the uninitiated reader and thus better conceal the secrets of the jewish tannaim? never has the christian world been in possession of those hidden scrolls which contain the secret doctrine of israel, and if the qabbalists were correct in their assumption that the lost books of the mosaic mysteries have been woven into the fabric of the torah, then the scriptures are veritably books within books. in rabbinical circles the opinion is prevalent that christendom never has understood the old testament and probably never will. in fact, the feeling exists--in some quarters, at least--that the old testament is the exclusive possession of the jewish faith; also that christianity, after its unrelenting persecution of the jew, takes unwarr

self "coats of skins (physical bodies) at the time of his fall, so these sacred sciences were brought by him into the lower worlds incarnated in dense vehicles, through which their spiritual transcendental natures could no longer manifest themselves. therefore they were considered as being dead or lost. the earthly body of alchemy is chemistry, for chemists do not realize that half of the book of torah is forever concealed behind the veil of isis (see the tarot, and that so long as they study only material elements they can at best discover but half of the mystery. astrology has crystallized into astronomy, whose votaries ridicule the dreams of ancient seers and sages, deriding their symbols as meaningless products of superstition. nevertheless, the intelligentsia of the modern world can n

RABBI AMIRAM MARKEL MARKEL THE KNOWLEDGE OF G D VOL 1

hing was painful, there would be no need for any specific desires, that it should be one way and not the other. it would make no difference at all what we did, because the pleasure for everything would be equal. it is specifically chochmah (insight) which determines what is or isn t desirable. for this reason chochmah of arich (insight of desire) is the source of the mitzvot (commandments) of the torah (the above principle applies to the enclothement of all the seven lower sefirot of atik (pleasure) within the seven upper sefirot of arich (desire. an additional example is how malchut of atik (kingdom of pleasure) is enclothed in netzach of arich (conquest of desire. malchut of atik represents the great pleasure of being the king and ruling over others. it therefore is easy to see why malch

ire for all of them to find expression. this allows for a complete expression of all the qualities in a settled and fulfilling manner. the worlds of akudim, nekudim and brudim now, the two levels of the world of tohu, plus the level of the world of tikkun correspond to the three world of akudim, nekudim and brudim. these terms, which mean "bound "speckled" and "splotched, have their source in the torah account of how lavan (leah and rachel s father) tried to swindle yaakov out of the wages due him for tending lavan s flock. after working without pay for fourteen years in return for marrying his daughters, lavan agreed that yaakov would receive his payment with those sheep that were born with "bands" around their ankles (akudim, small speckles (nekudim) or large splotches (brudim. these tor

o thousand generations 10. noseh avon- pardoning iniquity 11. vapeshah- and transgression 12. v'chata'a- and sin 13. v'nakeh- and he cleanses. the source of these thirteen attributes is in keter of arich. it is for this reason that they are called the thirteen attributes of mercy. because they are higher than chochmah of arich which, as mentioned above (in ch. 32) is the source of the laws of the torah, they therefore have the ability to overturn a divine decree from harshness to leniency, through mercy. this is how moshe was able to arouse g-d s mercy, and appease g-d in his wrath against the jewish people. it was specifically by appealing to g-d s mercifulness as exemplified by these thirteen attributes of mercy. the eighth and the thirteenth attributes, notzer and v nakeh, are called ma

multiplied by the three parts of the vessels (inner, middle and outer) equals 243 (which is the numerical value of the name avram. plus the 5 kindnesses, which make the body grow, equals 248 (which is the numerical value of the name avraham. this is the name that he was called after g-d added the letter heh to his name) these 248 limbs and organs correspond to the 248 positive commandments in the torah. altogether, there are 613 commandments in the torah. the 248 positive commandments correspond to the 248 limbs and organs in the body, and the 365 negative commandments corresponds to the 365 sinews in the body, as well as the 365 days in the solar year) zeir anpin the emotions now that we have understood all of the above, we must return to the explanation of the emotions of atzilut (emanat

each sefirah of zeir anpin now has chaba"d, chaga"t and nehi"y. however, the chaba"d on this level of maturation is only the externality of chaba"d. 4) the next stage of maturity comes at age 13. this is the level of a beinoni. at this point he is in complete control of his very desires and nature. he has not transformed them, but he is in complete control. it is for this reason that according to torah law, a child may sell movable property at the age of 13. 5) the next stage takes place at age 20. this is the level of a tzaddik. at this point not only can he overpower and control his desires, but he has actually transformed his very nature. an example of this is what took place during the binding of yitzchak. the verse states "abraham sent his hand, and took the knife etc" why did it not

imply state "abraham took the knife? the reason is because abraham had so transformed his nature to be sublimated to g-d s desire that his hand refused to respond. this is because the binding of yitzchack was just to test avraham. g-d never actually intended for yitzchak to be sacrificed, therefore avraham had to force his hand to go against its nature. it is for this reason that according to the torah a 20 year old may sell his father s real estate. before this level of maturity, he could sell it irresponsibly, for the wrong reasons. he could handle the proceeds of the sale irresponsibly and regret it later. but at this age, because he is the master over his desires, he may now sell real estate. yisrael the first aspect of the emotions is called yisrael. through understanding why it is ca

RABBI AMIRAM MARKEL MARKEL THE KNOWLEDGE OF G D VOL 2

darkness, sunken in the transient pleasures of this lowly physical world and following paths that lead to nowhere, without having questioned why he is here and how he is here. because he does not seek truth, his life flies by without his having fulfilled the purpose of his existence. he might not even realize or contemplate that there is a purpose. as mentioned before, even many people who study torah and keep its mitzvot (commandments, do so by rote, without enthusiasm and emotions, or delude themselves into a false sense of emotional excitement, without truly seeking g-d. this is because they have not contemplated and grasped, in a way of hitbonenut, to truly understand the purpose of their existence. in contrast, one who has tasted the results of his efforts in the path of truth can te

RABBI MOSHE WISNEFSKY APPLES FROM THE ORCHARD THE ARIZAL ON THE PARASHAH

, for this is the whole (purpose) of man" lastly, it must be pointed out that "the reward is commensurate to the effort, as the talmud states "he who claims that he has toiled but has not found, is not to be believed, he who claims to have found without toil, is not to be believed. however, he who claims that he has toiled and has found is to be believeevthe arizal never wrote a commentary on the torah per se; in fact, he hardly wrote anything. his teachings were recorded by his disciples, principally rabbi chaim vital (1543-1620. the teachings in the present anthology are culled from several of rabbi vital fs works, chiefly sha far hapesukim, sefer halikutim, and likutei torah. the translations and commentary i present here were originally produced on a weekly basis and circulated via the

t anthology are culled from several of rabbi vital fs works, chiefly sha far hapesukim, sefer halikutim, and likutei torah. the translations and commentary i present here were originally produced on a weekly basis and circulated via the internet. it was thought worthwhile at this point to present them in book form, even though there still remains a sizeable amount of the arizal fs material on the torah to be translated. please g-d, when this additional material is ready, we will reissue this book and include a short biography of the arizal as well as a description of how his teachings were recorded and edited in the generations immediately following his passing. the translation of the text of the arizal fs teachings is accompanied by explanatory notes and charts to assist the reader in und

rrectly. before publishing these translations in book form they will, please g-d, be examined for accuracy by a competent authority, and any necessary changes will be made then. chabad of malibu. 22943 pacific coast highway. malibu, ca 90265. 310-456-6588 powered by chabad.org c 2001-2007 chabad-lubavitch media center. all rights reserved. in everlasting memory of rabbi yosef y. kazen, pioneer of torah, judaism and jewish information on the web 11 parashat bereishit the first verse in the torah literally reads gin the beginning, g-d created the heavens and the earth. h the verb in this verse, gto create, h refers to the second of the four worlds, atzilut( gemanation h, beriah( gcreation h, yetzirah( gformation h, and asiyah( gaction h. the torah does not [here] speak about the world of atz

he web 11 parashat bereishit the first verse in the torah literally reads gin the beginning, g-d created the heavens and the earth. h the verb in this verse, gto create, h refers to the second of the four worlds, atzilut( gemanation h, beriah( gcreation h, yetzirah( gformation h, and asiyah( gaction h. the torah does not [here] speak about the world of atzilut, but rather the world of beriah. the torah is therefore called gthe torah of beriah. h and therefore the torah begins with the letter beit, for the alef (which is the first letter) alludes to atzilut [which is both the first world and begins with the letter alef, while the letter beit (which is the second letter) alludes to beriah, which is [both] the second world and begins with the letter beit. not only does the verb in the first v

r the alef (which is the first letter) alludes to atzilut [which is both the first world and begins with the letter alef, while the letter beit (which is the second letter) alludes to beriah, which is [both] the second world and begins with the letter beit. not only does the verb in the first verse put us squarely in the world of beriah, but this fact is alluded to also in the first letter of the torah. in the words of our sages, gall is according to the beginning. h this letter, beit, refers to the world of beriah both because its numerical value is 2 and because it is the initial of the word beriah. it is also known that gima nests in the [world of the] chariot. h1 this is another reason why the torah begins with the letter beit, for beit is the first letter of binah. it is stated in the

rei is the beginning of the cold half of the year, in contrast to nisan, which is the beginning of the warm half. the holidays of tishrei emphasize human effort, to crown g-d king (rosh hashanah, to achieve atonement for man fs sins (yom kippur, to rejoice in g-d fs protection, to achieve joy in his service, and unity in his people (sukkot, and to elicit divine revelation through the study of the torah (shemini atzeret.simchat torah. the holiday of nisan.pesach.in contrast, emphasizes g-d fs initiative (in taking us out of bondage. thus, the cold half of the year (which we have to gwarm up h on our own) is characterized more by human effort ascending heavenward, while the warm half of the year is characterized more by g-d gtaking over h and our simply being open and receptive to his leader

SATANGEL

es the nature of the powers in that he may be considered as benign and malign, and yet gains the favour of god. as kemu-el, he acts as mediator between the prayers of israel and the hierarchs of the seventh heaven. as chamuel, he wrestled with jacob and appeared to jesus in the garden of gethsemane. it was also cama-el who was blasted by moses when he attempted to prevent moses from receiving the torah from god. he is said to command 144,000 angels of destruction, punishment, vengeance and death. cama-el is also identified in the goetia as a duke of hell. the third circle lowest triad the third triad of principalities is rooted in the first heaven and its border with the material dimension. they are thus the most like humans, and amongst the best known to us. as with the second triad, they

ided, thrown backwards and forwards by the argumenets of theologians, priests, magicians and rabbi. as such it is a most paradoxical name to conjure with. shekinah according to the zohar the creation of the world was the work of the shekinah, who is the female aspect of the metatron. the shekinah was exiled after the fall of adam and eve, and according to rabbinical lore the entire purpose of the torah is to lead the shekinah back to god and unite her with him. micha-el originally a chaldean deity, the name micha-el translates as who is as god. along with gabriel he is one of the only two angels actually named in the old testament. it was he who vanquished satan from heaven in single combat. it is also he who will descend from heaven with the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

ics: the branch of philosophy that deals with explanations for the most general questions of being, such as what brought the world into being, and the nature of space, time, god, and the afterlife. world religions: almanac xxiii words to know metempsychosis: transmigration of souls, or the migration of the soul into a different form, animal, or object after death. mezuzah: a small case containing torah passages that observant jews attach to the doorposts of their houses. midrashim: stories that expand on incidents in the hebrew bible. mishnah: the written text of the talmud. mitzvoth: the laws of judaism contained in the torah. moksha: salvation; liberation from rebirth. monastery: a place where religious people such as monks live, away from the world and following strict religious guideli

nciation and contemplation. norito: prayers to the kami. xxiv world religions: almanac words to know offering of eightfold puja: an important jain temple ritual in which the worshipper makes eight offerings to the tirthankara. olo du` mare: the name of the supreme god in santer a. om: often spelled aum; the sacred syllable and symbol of jainism (and hinduism, used for purposes of meditation. oral torah: interpretations of the torah and ways to apply their laws. orders: religious communities. original sin: the sin that fell upon humankind when adam and eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the garden of eden; this act, in turn, led to the separation of humans from god. orishas: name given to the lesser gods of santer a. orthodox: the name of one of the sects of judaism, generally referring to t

erally, white-clad; one of the two main sects of jainism. swastika: a pictorial character that symbolizes the eternal nature of brahma because it points in all directions; also used as the official emblem of the nazi party during world war ii (1939 45. takhts: seats of spiritual authority in sikhism. the five takhts are gurdwaras located in india. talmud: traditions that explain and interpret the torah. tanakh: the chief jewish scripture; the hebrew bible. tawba: repentance. theism: belief in the existence of gods or god. theocracy: a form of government in which god or some supreme deity is the ruler. god s laws are then interpreted by a divine king or by a priest class. theology: the study of god and of religions truths. world religions: almanac xxix words to know three jewels: the jain c

code of ethical conduct, consisting of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. tian: heaven, or the principle of ordering the universe. tipitaka: the buddhist sacred texts accepted by all branches of buddhism. tirthankara: literally, makers of the ford; those souls who have attained enlightenment and have been freed from the cycle of death and rebirth; the twenty-four leaders of jainism. torah: the first five books of the tanakh: genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy. tori: the gate that marks the entrance to a shrine. its shape is regarded as a symbol of shinto. totem: some sort of object or, perhaps, animal that assumes a spiritual symbolism for a clan or tribe. transcendent: going beyond the ordinary, beyond the universe and time, into spiritual dimensions. trini

ople a system of values, beliefs, and attitudes from the time they are children. an outsider could adopt the religion of an african culture only to the extent that he or she could come to see the world in the same way that the culture does. the religions also promote a system of morality (values) and good behavior. such a moral code may not be as formalized as jewish law as it is developed in the torah (one of judaism s sacred texts, for example, but all children grow up learning right from wrong. this knowledge of right from wrong becomes part of the world view of members of the group. as in other religions, african indigenous religions recognize the importance of ritual, which is a way of carrying out a ceremony or event. these rituals are often associated with important events, such as

differed from the others of its day in that it called for the worship of only one god, a practice called monotheism. as a result of its being a new religion and challenging the accepted beliefs of the day by promoting only one god, judaism s early history experienced many challenges. this early history is recorded in the first five books of the tanakh; these five books are collectively called the torah. the key event was god s appointment of the prophet abraham (c. 2050 c. 1950 bce) as the leader of the israelites, god s chosen people. another key event was the bondage, or enslavement, of the jews in egypt and their exodus, or escape, under the leadership of the prophet moses, who received from god the ten commandments (religious laws) and gave them to the jewish people. judaism became mor

SEPHER HA BAHIR

itten (genesis 1:2 "the earth was chaos (tohu) and desolation (bohu. what is the meaning of the word "was" in this verse? this indicates that the chaos existed previously [and already was. what is chaos (tohu? something that confounds (taha) people. what is desolation (bohu? it is something that has substance. this is the reason that it is called bohu, that is, bo hu "it is in it" 3. why does the torah begin with the letter bet? in order that it begin with a blessing (berachah. how do we know that the torah is called a blessing? because it is written (deuteronomy 33:23 "the filling is god's blessing possessing the sea and the south" the sea is nothing other than the torah, as it is written( job 11:9 "it is wider than the sea" what is the meaning of the verse "the filling is god's blessing"

a king wanted to build his palace among great cliffs. he mined into the bedrock and uncovered a great spring of living water. the king then said "since i have flowing water, i will plant a garden. then i will delight in it, and so will all the world" it is therefore written (proverbs 8:30 "i was with him as a craftsman, i was his delight for a day, a day, frolicking before him at every time" the torah is saying "for two thousand years i was in the bosom of the blessed holy one as his delight" the verse therefore says "a day, a day" each day of the blessed holy one is a thousand years, as it is written (psalm 90:4 "a thousand years in your eyes is as but yesterday when it is passed" from then on, it is at times, as the verse states"[frolicking before him] at every time" the rest is for the

ty (me-olam, from a head, before the earth" what is the meaning of "from eternity (me-olam" this means that it must be concealed (he-elam) from the world. it is thus written (ecclesiastes 3:11 "he has also placed the world (ha-olam) in their hearts [that they should not find out the work that god has done from the beginning to the end" do not read ha-olam (the world, but he-elam (concealment. the torah said "i was first, so that i might be the head of the world" it is thus written "i was set up from eternity, from a head" you may think that the earth was before it. it is therefore written "before the earth" it is thus written (genesis 1:1 "in the beginning created god the heaven and the earth" what is the meaning of "created? he created everything that was needed for all things. and then g

r my son's head" they said to him "are you then certain that your son will be worthy of this crown" he replied "be still. this is what arises in thought" it is thus written (2 samuel 14:14, he thinks thoughts [that none should be cast away. the bahir 7 section ii the aleph-beth 17. rabbi amorai sat and expounded: why is the letter aleph at the beginning? because it was before everything, even the torah. 18. why does bet follow it? because it was first. why does it have a tail? to point to the place from which it came. some say, from there the world is sustained. 19. why is gimel third? it has three parts, teaching us that it bestows (gomel) kindness. but did rabbi akiba not say that gimel has three parts because it bestows, grows, and sustains. it is thus written (genesis 21:8 "the lad gre

re will be sickness (choleh) on your head, and diseases (cholim) on its head. 41. they also said: every dream (chalom) is in the cholem. every white precious stone is in the cholem. it is thus written [with regard to the high priest's breastplate (exodus 28:19"[and in the third row] a white stone (achlamah" 42. he said to them: come and hear the fine points regarding the vowel points found in the torah of moses. he sat and expounded: chirek hates evildoers and punishes them. its side includes jealousy, hatred and competition. it is thus written (psalm 37:12 "he gnashes (chorek) his teeth at them" do not read chorek (gnashes, but rochek (repels. repel (rachek) these traits from yourself, and repel yourself from evil. good will then certainly attach itself to you. 43. chirek. do not read chi

indness to his messiah, to david and his descendants until eternity more than [when israel was] in the desert [the seventh voice is (psalm 29:9, god s voice makes hinds to calf, strips the forests bare, and in his temple, all say glory. it is thus written (song of songs 2:7) i bind you with an oath, o daughters of jerusalem, with the hosts, or with the hinds of the field. this teaches us that the torah was given with seven voices. in each of them the master of the universe revealed himself to them, and they saw him. it is thus written, and all the people saw the voices. 46. one verse states (2 samuel 22:10, he bent the heavens and came down, with gloom under his feet. another verse says (exodus 19:20) and god came down on mount sinai, to the top of the mountain. still another verse, howeve

SIFRA DETZNIYUTHA

s entirety. a substantial appendix follows the five core chapters. the first appendix is an extensive addition from the sixteenth century which is intended to follow after the verse, and elohim said the waters will swarm with movement of living-being, in chapter three. the second brief appendix is an addition intended for the very end of the fifth chapter. the text itself mixes citations from the torah, the writings and the prophets with the zoharic commentary. to avoid confusion, the torah quotes will be penned in bold italic, the writings and prophets will be just bold, and the commentary in regular type. preface the hooks and their pillars shall be made of silver.1 said rabbi yitza aq: i presume that the hooks of the pillars symbolize all those who are attached to the supernal unifying

i there is another addition at the very end of the sifra detzniyutha: when the one heh h is turned towards the other heh h, and yod y is taken away, then comes vengeance into the universe; and except for that adam who is called [by the name] hvhy, the universe would not exist; but all things would be destroyed. hence it is written: and the lord hvhy alone shall be exalted in the day of that.191 1 torah shmoth 27:17. 2 the circle mentioned here is the ayin (i, o) of vast face. 3 the five chapters are the negatively existent roots of the tree and the four qabalistic worlds. the great hall (lkh, hekal) is the circular contraction(,vomo, tzimtzum, see etz hachayim, luria) into which the positively existent tree emanates. 4 not (al) is a common synonym for ayn ]ya, nothing, mysterious unknown a

m in aramaic. hidden one (atiqa) is a prominent name of vast face in the zohar. 14 the skull of vast face. 15 the envelope is the skin. 16 the pure wool (sufim ,ypvc) are the hairs which hang from the skull. 17 the will(]vor ratzon) corresponds to the forehead. 18 the open eye is the eye of providence, the ayin i (vast face. 19 the hollow pillar is an allusion to the nose. 20 spirit xvr ruach. 21 torah b reshith 1:1. 22 the six are the directional sefiroth, the chayot who ran and returned. 23 torah b reshith 5:29. 24 unformed (tohu) and empty (vuhbohu, darkness, and al-face of the deep are all epitaphs of vast face. 25 al li is a prominent name of vast face. 26 torah b reshith 1:2. 27 the sequence of letters which compose the word echad (unity) dxa are numerically equivalent to 1, 8, 5 whi

xa are numerically equivalent to 1, 8, 5 which add up to 13, the thirteen words of the quotation. 28 the is an allusion to the time span from the initial manifestation of the creation to its dissolution, reshith (tysar, the first) to acharit( tyrxa, the last. the six thousand years of the small face universe (spanning approximately 20 billion light years) depend on the first six days described in torah b reshith. 29 the seventh above them is the seventh millennium of the small face universe, spent in the great sabbath by jews, christians, and muslims. 30 these twelve hours are the hours spent by the letters in atziluth alone i.e. witness states of alef worlds. 31 isaiah 2:17. 23 32 this serpent, or leviathan, is an allusion to the border of the tzimtzum (circular contraction, the totality

rcular contraction, the totality of the chayot: n, s, e, w, up, down. this serpent is also called ananta in sanskrit, and astrid in roman mythology. 33 psalms 74:14. 34 thaninim is indicated to be singular, with the letter indicating the plural form missing. 35 ezekiel 1:22. these chayot are the directional sefiroth traveling at the velocity of light in a four dimensional space-time continuum. 36 torah b reshith 1: 3. 37 avh (he) is pronounced hoo. 38 psalms 33:9, yhyv and it was. 39 the letters yhyv are transposed into y vhy. 40 in the name hvhy, the lower heh h is the shekhinah, the divine presence in the worlds of matter. in yvhy, the latter yod y is the shekhinah. 41 ezekiel 1:14. 42 torah b reshith 1:4. 43 isaiah 3:10. 44 proverbs 7:4, say unto wisdom (sefirah wisdom/east, you are my

om/east, you are my sister, and call understanding (sefirah understanding/north) friend. 45 daniel 7:8, 20. the tongue is the sefirah knowledge (of the ayn)/the first. see zohar ii:123a. 46 isaiah 44:5. 47 these are the first three letters of the name hvhy, extending only through the world of yetzirah. in the sefer yetzirah, the six directions are sealed with permutations of the three letters. 48 torah b reshith 1:14. 49 proverbs 10:25. 50 the hairs of the beard are the atziluthic letters convoluting into divine names. see fig. 51 man sya, ish, pronounced eesh as in leash. 52 adam kadmon, celestial man, vast face. in the eleventh chapter of the bhagavad gita, this is described as the universal form (vishvarupa) of vast face as mahavishnu. 53 jeremiah 2:6. 54 son, rb, bar; he i.e. small fac

TEXE MARRS CODEX MAGICA SECRET SIGNS MYSTERIOUS SYMBOLS AND HIDDEN CODES OF THE ILLUMINATI

-pointed star was especially beloved by the cabalistic rabbis of the medieval era. the rothschild dynasty later adopted this star as a magical device and was instrumental in persuading (money talks) the fledgling zionist entity, israel, to adopt the six-pointed star as the national emblem. it is the symbol of the israel national flag, even though a more appropriate device undoubtedly would be the torah, the menorah, or some other historic or religious symbol.7 geometrically and numerically (points, lines, triangles) the six-pointed star translates into the number 666. thus, it is very possible that the six-pointed star could become the mark of the beast, the antichrist, as prophesied in revelation 13. the illuminists, cabalists, and masons cunningly have also chosen the six-pointed star as

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

s and would be reborn in a new life. proselytes to judaism were jewish souls which had been incarnated in gentile bodies [transmigration] also allowed for the gradual perfection of the individual souls through different lives. the zohar (hebrew for splendor, the main work of the kabbalah, describes the esoteric reality that lies behind everyday experience, and insists that the real meaning of the torah lies in its mystical secrets. although tradition declares rabbi simeon ben jochai (c. 80 c.e) as its author, later scholarship acknowledges the contribution of rabbi moses de leon (1240 1305) and other hebrew scholars in the thirteenth century. the zohar states that since the human soul is rooted in the divine, the redemption of the world will be achieved when each individual has undergone t

book, of islam. for muslims, it is the very word of allah, the absolute god of the islamic faith, as revealed to the prophet muhammad (c. 570c.e. 632 c.e) by the archangel gabriel. shamanic exorcism when a shaman, or tribal medicine-holy person, performs a ceremonial ritual to expel the disincarnate spirits from a person. tanakh (also known as tanach) from the hebrew tenak, an acronym formed from torah. it is the sacred book of judaism, consisting of the torah the five books of moses, the nevi im the words of the prophets, and the kethuvim the writings. tribulation great affliction, trial, or distress. in christianity, the tribulation refers to the prophesied period of time which precedes the return of jesus christ to earth, in which there will be tremendous suffering that will test humani

in polynesian societies. from the tongan tabu, said to have been introduced into the english language by captain james cook in the late eighteenth century. talisman an object such as a gemstone or stone, believed to have magical powers or properties. from the greek telesma, meaning something consecrated, telein, to complete, and telos, result. tanakh from the hebrew tenak, an acronym formed from torah. it is the sacred book of judaism, consisting of the torah the five books of moses, the nevi im the words of the prophets, and the kethuvim the writings. telepathy communication of thoughts, mental images, ideas, feelings, or sensations from one person s mind to another s without the use of speech, writing, signs, or symbols. theory of evolution the biological theory of the complex process o

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 3

depending upon the beliefs of the individual denomination or congregation, a dance may follow the dinner and the gift-giving. after the party, the couple leaves their family and friends and departs on their honeymoon. jewish weddings are always events of great celebration and are usually performed on sundays. on the sabbath before the wedding, the groom must go to the synagogue and read from the torah. as in other traditions, the bride is attired in a white gown, symbolizing purity and joy, and the groom stands beside her wearing a dark suit. the wedding couple is attended by their parents, and the group stands before the rabbi under a canopy known as a chuppah, which represents the future home of the bride and groom. the rabbi hands the couple a glass of wine that has been blessed. after

in polynesian societies. from the tongan tabu, said to have been introduced into the english language by captain james cook in the late eighteenth century. talisman an object such as a gemstone or stone, believed to have magical powers or properties. from the greek telesma, meaning something consecrated, telein, to complete, and telos, result. tanakh from the hebrew tenak, an acronym formed from torah. it is the sacred book of judaism, consisting of the torah the five books of moses, the nevi im the words of the prophets, and the kethuvim the writings. telepathy communication of thoughts, mental images, ideas, feelings, or sensations from one person s mind to another s without the use of speech, writing, signs, or symbols. theory of evolution the biological theory of the complex process o

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL

hagorean philosophers also understood numbers and letters to be divine things endowed with supernatural powers. the kabbalah began to emerge as a text of power and influence in spain and southern france in the thirteenth century. many of its teachers proclaimed that the kabbalah (hebrew for greceived tradition h) had been given by god to moses (14th.13th century b.c.e) on mt. sinai along with the torah, and generations of magi, alchemists, and magicians believed this claim to be true and revered the ancient texts as a legacy of the creator to humankind, the apex of his creation. contemporary scholarship suggests that rather than a divinely authored text, the kabbalah was a product of the earlier mystical tradition of the maaseh bereshit and maaseh merkavah, both of which would only be taug

lic meaning: they were believed to possess mystical and religious powers. today, crystals are still worn for decorative purposes in the form of gems and jewels; those who believe in the mystical powers of crystals wear them as amulets. many amulets have religious significance. ancient jews wore amulets around their necks that contained slips of parchment on which the laws of god were written. the torah, comprising five books of the old testament of the bible, is among the copies of holy books including the bible (christians, vedas (hindu, the koran (muslims, and the avestar (zoroastrians) believed by the faithful to t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d objects of mystery and power 169 ancient amulets of the middle east ancient assyrians

in polynesian societies. from the tongan tabu, said to have been introduced into the english language by captain james cook in the late eighteenth century. talisman an object such as a gemstone or stone, believed to have magical powers or properties. from the greek telesma, meaning something consecrated, telein, to complete, and telos, result. tanakh from the hebrew tenak, an acronym formed from torah. it is the sacred book of judaism, consisting of the torah.the five books of moses, the nevi fim.the words of the prophets, and the kethuvim.the writings. telepathy communication of thoughts, mental images, ideas, feelings, or sensations from one person fs mind to another fs without the use of speech, writing, signs, or symbols. theory of evolution the biological theory of the complex proces

THE MAGICIAN S KABBALAH

aal those kindling the funeral pyre 8 deceivers (the false accuser) sifters, or triers addramalech the venom of god 9 obscene ones (the obscene ass) tempters, or ensnarers lillith he who bears a burden 10 the evil woman (the woman of the night) wicked fouls bearing rule nahema the moaners part one, chapter four, table one chapter fifteen; gematria gematria is one of the rules for interpreting the torah, and is partially a high-level system of numerology. it is defined by scholem as "explaining a word or group of words according to the numerical value of the letters, or of substituting other letters of the alphabet for them in accordance with a set system" all hebrew letters are equally values and words, so for example the letter aleph, signifying "a, also means "one, as well as being a wor

urther that god is "composed" of unity and love. indeed, it is with particular reference to the names of god to which gematria is pointed, as the names are considered in themselves, incomprehensible. although some kabbalists denied the use of gematria as relevant, other workers such as abulafia dealt with gematria so deeply that their works need "decoding" rather than reading. it is said that the torah is likewise written, and that "mistakes" in the original greek and hebrew texts are not mistakes, but rather spellings and variations necessary to ensure the numbers underlying them were correct. as many occultists have used gematria to support their own models and approaches, it is essential that where it is recognised, it is tested. the magician aleister crowley utilised gematria as a "tes

THE PATH OF KABBALAH

the inner attributes that we still cannot see in us. all the world, partzufim, sefirot, names, everything the kabbalah speaks of exists in us and will be revealed in us, depending on the degree of our correction. we will find our inner moses and aaron, king david and the angels, the evil, the righteous and the 7 of 273 degrees of attainment called jerusalem, the temple and more. every word in the torah speaks of our own forces and the levels of our sensation of the creator. that is the only thing that the torah discusses. that is also the only thing we speak of in our daily lives, because we talk about our feelings. all we feel is the influence of the creator. every thing around us is no more than the influence of the creator on each and every one of us. hence, in order to feel the actual

ation field our own feelings. this results in a collective goal, thought and desire that in time creates the feeling of one body, common properties, a feeling that there are no separate entities, but only one, called man, and before him, the one creator. the thought must be directed inwardly, toward changing our attributes in search of the creator inside us. instead of the ordinary reading in the torah we discover the torah as a spice, as a means for correction also named a potion of life, for it pours in us the sensation of the creator, the light of eternity and wholeness. people who study from the wrong books, are denied of this remedy and remain with their properties, they do not discover the creator and their torah becomes dry and conceals the purpose of creation even more than before

ritual life in different people. some live a thousand years, and others live only for a minute. our ordinary clock shows only the still time, meaning the pace of progress of the still toward the purpose of creation. 19 of 273 chapter 1.5 kabbalah as a means kabbalah revolves around the spiritual worlds. therefore, the student attracts spiritual lights during the study. studying other parts of the torah also awakens a certain spiritual illumination, but the intensity of the light during the study of kabbalah is much stronger than when studying other writings. however, one must make sure one is studying in the right path of instruction, otherwise he is liable to achieve the opposite result the more he studies, the more he ll feel himself to be righteous instead of feeling his own evil (which

lt. that would make it easier for him: just imagine studying for several months, each month feeling that you become meaner and meaner, can you call that sensation pleasant? not at all but this is nonetheless the truth! if you keep feeling better about yourself, then you are learning a lie, a pleasant one, but still a lie. on that basis society can be divided to two opposing groups: homeowners and torah owners. homeowners are those who study torah and are content with the study. they feel that they accumulate merit for the world to come. this world already smiles at them and they are confident that they will be happy in the next life. the torah owners however, are people who wish to do something with themselves. these two groups are in complete opposition to one another. though their outwar

t is the total opposite of the creator and is denominated the exile in egypt. the natural power that works on us in that state, the power of our egoistic nature, doesn t allow us to advance anywhere except to care for ourselves. this is called the state of pharaoh. the egoism doesn t let us feel the sublime and perfect state. it is the egoism, man s inner and vicious force called pharaoh that the torah speaks of at length, whereas the force that makes one exit that state is called moses. pharaoh, moses and everything that is written about the exodus describe spiritual states and emotions. our current state is the lowest possible. it is a state of absolute slumber, unconsciousness. we have no sensation whatsoever of who or where we are. it is even 20 of 273 a lower state than this world. it

called moses. pharaoh, moses and everything that is written about the exodus describe spiritual states and emotions. our current state is the lowest possible. it is a state of absolute slumber, unconsciousness. we have no sensation whatsoever of who or where we are. it is even 20 of 273 a lower state than this world. it is so low that we cannot feel any spirituality, not even as good or bad. the torah is not a historic epic, though there is a correlation between the text and human history. but this is only because the construction of the worlds is based on the same principle: everything that happens in one spiritual world is reflected in its adjacent lower world, down to our own. everything that humankind will have to go through during its ascent in the worlds must be felt by each and eve

TYSON DONALD NEW MILLENNIUM MAGIC

vable qualities. it cannot be seen or heard or touched. however, entry into it is akin to opening the door of a brightly lit house before a lost person wandering in the darkness of night. to experience it engenders a reaction of unutterable joy. it is the ecstasy of mystics, called satori and samadhi and nirvana, and the rapture of saints. the inner temple houses the lamp of spirit and the secret torah that contains the knowledge of god. it may be described as the interior of the vessel that holds the first emanation. this is as close to god as any manifest thing can approach without itself becoming god. to stand within this temple spiritual is the goal of every true magus. the mys- tic wishes to dwell within it forever, but the magus seeks to come and go at will in order that he or she ma

TYSON DONALD THE POWER OF THE WORD

erusalem who lived during the same period. the pronunciation of the name was forbidden except to priests of the temple during the benediction of the people (num. 6:22-7) and on the day of atonement, when the high priest spoke it ten times before the assembled worshippers (lev. 16:30. because unpointed hebrew is composed entirely of consonants, it was possible to write the name in the books of the torah and yet still conceal its pronunciation. it appears as 717, which is transliterated into the latin characters ihvh (sometimes yhwh or jhwh. but the name could not be written in greek without revealing the way of saying it. josephus was a priest and knew the correct pronunciation of the name, but states in his antiquities (11, 12, 4) that religion forbids him to divulge it. philo calls the na

unending essence of god. for something else to come into being, it was necessary for god to turn in upon himself and thereby create a point of vacuum where he was not present, or was present in a different degree. this involved the bringing about of an imbalance through the power of din (critical judgement. the movement within the ain soph (limitless void) was accomplished through the primordial torah, the archetypal world of ideas that was woven into its very substance. this torah is called a garment (malbush) that is not distinct from but is still a part of the substance of the divine "like the grasshopper whose clothing is part of itself" the length of the garment is the twenty-two hebrew letters, which form 231 gates, the total number of possible combinations of two letters (ab, ag, a

in the name of sixty-three was left without a partner. by the contraction of the garment, a void was created in the ain soph that was not the same as the ain soph itself. the single remaining letter of the tetragrammaton, the yod, served as the instrument through which was transferred the infinite holy radiance of the ain soph into the shadow that lay beneath the folded garment of the primordial torah. this light became the fiery spheres or vessels of the sephiroth that exist within the primordial point, kether. kether is no more than an infinitesimal speck in the endless expanse of deity, yet that speck is large enough to comprehend all things. medieval kabbalists believed in a set of cosmic cycles called shemittah that were connected with the seven lower sephiroth that emanate from the

f heroes. the next shemittah will be that of tiphareth, characterized by beauty and harmony. at the end of the seven cycles of 49,000 years there is a grand jubilee of a millennium when all the lower worlds together and the seven sephiroth that support them are reabsorbed into binah, and the universe begins to repeat itself. each of these shemittah is said to experience a unique revelation of the torah, which is the complete articulation of tetragrammaton. however, the combination of letters of the name varies from age to age. therefore the divine wisdom is interpreted differently in each cycle, in the context of the sephirah that rules it. the present interpretation is one of law and prohibition("thou shalt not) because this is the shemittah of geburah. some kabbalists believed that old s

rbo mirifico (on the wonder-working word, published in germany in 1494, and his later work de arte cabalistica (on the science of the kabbalah, published in 1517. reuchlin quotes from pico and argues that history can be divided into three periods: the first period, of nature, in which god revealed himself to the patriarchs through the name of three letters, shaddai c'tw; the second period, of the torah, in which god revealed himself to moses through the name of four letters, tetragrammaton; and the third period, of grace and redemption, in which god revealed himself to the apostles through the name of five letters, yeheshuah. reuchlin held that with the birth of jesus, the name of four letters had been rendered powerless, its ability to cause miracles having passed into the name of jesus

on. for example, if the question were put to the oracle "what is the likely outcome of my forthcoming visit to relatives" and the banner drawn was vhhi, pointing to naphtali and the sign gemini, the response would be free speech and true testimony, indicating the revelation of some family secret. it is possible that urim and thummim were used for more than just divination by lot. according to the torah, the high priest employed them as a 86 tetragrammaton focus during deep meditation until he attained the exalted state of ruach ha-qadesh, the holy ruach, during which the enlightenment of god enters into a human. at this point the letters on urim and thummim lit up and spelled out the answer sought by the priest (see kaplan, meditation and the bible [weiser, 19781, p. 142. this notion that

WILLIAM WESCOTT NUMBERS THEIR OCCULT POWER AND MYSTIC VIRTUES

or ihvh, suggesting that jehovah pointed out the way, by circumcision, to heaven. again, the first six letters of the book of genesis, brashit, berasit, translated in the beginning, but more properly in wisdom, are the initials of the words brashit rah alhim shyqblu ishral turh, read berasit rauah elohim numbers--th eir occu lt power an d mys tic vir tu es by w. wyn n wes tcott shyequebelu israel torah, which mean in the beginning, god was that israel would accept the law. the famous rabbinic name of power, agla, is formed of the initials of the sentence, tu potens in saeculum domine, ath gbur loulm adni, ateh gibur loulam adonai melekh namen, adni mlk namn, meaning the lord and faithful king. 3. temura means permutation; sometimes the letters of a word are transposed according to certain

WOLFSON ELLIOT ALEF MEM TAU KABBALISTIC MUSINGS ON TIME TRUTH AND DEATH

hapter in this book, the first of the lectures, i explore the paradox of beginning: to begin, the beginning would have had to begin to be the beginning it is to be, but if this is so, then it would not be the beginning it must be if it is the beginning of what it is to be. the mystery of doubling is encoded semiotically in the opening letter of the first verse of the genesis narrative that begins torah, beit, the second letter of the hebrew alphabet, the cipher for number two. beginning is symbolized by beit, but before beit is alef, the mystery, pele,7 that points to the origin that precedes the beginning. the first, which is the head, is shrouded in the veil of the second, the twofold nature of secrecy that lies at the time-root; the two come to fruition by the third letter, gimmel, the

nly in relation to time. the sixteenth-century homilist and exegete judah loew ben bezalel of prague, deferentially referred to by the acronym maharal, had this confluence in 2 55 mind when he noted that time and place are one matter [ha-zeman we-ha-maqom inyan ehad] as is known to those who understand. 4 the specific context of maharal s comment is a discussion on the nature of the revelation of torah at sinai in the third month after the exodus of the israelites from egypt. in maharal s view, neither the spatial nor the temporal coordinates of the experience were accidental or arbitrary; on the contrary, the transcendental nature of the truth disclosed necessitated the place and time of the event, that is to say, both when and where the epiphany occurred approximated as much as possible

e, which necessitates the impossibility of determining the end from the beginning or the beginning from the end; the reversibility of the timeline implies not closure at either terminus but rather an ever-changing flux, which destabilizes the model of an irreversible succession proceeding unilaterally from start to finish. this idea is encapsulated pithily in the statement ein muqdam u-me uhar ba-torah, there is no before or after in scripture. 33 the conventional, perhaps even commonsensical, conception of linear time, a succession of moments lurching forward like a stream rushing over intractable rocks of historical facticity, breaks under the weight of this supposition: when we reach the end of the line, we realize the circularity of the path, a return to the beginning that beckons an e

beginning that beckons an extending forward of a new progression. in foucault s pointed but liberal for- linear circularity (a)temporal poetics 59 mulation: the most direct line is also the most perfect circle, which, in coming to a close, suddenly becomes straight, linear, and as economical as light. 34 to say there is no before or after does not proffer a static conception of the eternality of torah set in opposition to time and therefore resistant to the fluctuation of historical contingency a binary considered traditional in western thought35 but rather a conception of temporality that calls into question the linear model of aligning events chronoscopically in a sequence stretched invariably between before and after. the hermeneutical principle of the rabbis embraces a notion of time

that the world was created, and the emanations rotated, is not the time that evolves from now and forward, but rather there are new aspects, for the order of time [seder zemannim] that is before him has no boundary and no end. 50 the ephemerality of time as the constancy of what passes away is associated in the continuation of the above passage with the phenomenon of innovative interpretations of torah: there are always new meanings to be elicited from the 62 chapter two text of torah, since, in its mystical valence, torah is the incarnate form of ein sof, the delimitation of the limitless that is manifest in potentially infinite concealments, the ineffable name gesticulated in potentially endless circumlocutions. like other sixteenth-century kabbalists, cordovero explicitly a rms the para

he lower existents, and he hid the force of his governance through them. and this matter is addressed in their saying that disclosure is the cause of concealment [ha-hitggallut sibbat ha-he elem, for what he reveals through the intermediary of these sefirot is the cause of the concealment of his existence and governance that cannot be comprehended at all by the lower beings. 52 insofar as god and torah are identical, an axiomatic truth of kabbalah from its inception, it follows that torah in its textual embodiment the theosophic principle that undergirds the anthropological ideal of corporeality as embodied textuality53 is the veil that reveals the infinite by concealing the light it reveals, the voice that declaims the ineffable by muting the name it declaims. it is precisely from the jux

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